Comentário sobre Menachot 10:3
כֵּיצַד הָיוּ עוֹשִׂים. שְׁלוּחֵי בֵית דִּין יוֹצְאִים מֵעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב, וְעוֹשִׂים אוֹתוֹ כְרִיכוֹת בִּמְחֻבָּר לַקַּרְקַע, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא נוֹחַ לִקְצֹר. וְכָל הָעֲיָרוֹת הַסְּמוּכוֹת לְשָׁם, מִתְכַּנְּסוֹת לְשָׁם, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא נִקְצָר בְּעֵסֶק גָּדוֹל. כֵּיוָן שֶׁחֲשֵׁכָה, אוֹמֵר לָהֶם, בָּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, אוֹמְרִים, הֵן. בָּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. מַגָּל זוֹ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. מַגָּל זוֹ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. קֻפָּה זוֹ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. קֻפָּה זוֹ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. בְּשַׁבָּת אוֹמֵר לָהֶם, שַׁבָּת זוֹ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. שַׁבָּת זוֹ, אוֹמְרִים הֵן. אֶקְצֹר, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ קְצֹר. אֶקְצֹר, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ קְצֹר. שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ הֵן, הֵן, הֵן. וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה. מִפְּנֵי הַבַּיְתוֹסִים, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים, אֵין קְצִירַת הָעֹמֶר בְּמוֹצָאֵי יוֹם טוֹב:
Como eles fariam [a colheita do omer ]? Os agentes da corte saíam na véspera do feriado e os transformavam em maços enquanto ainda estavam presos ao chão, para serem fáceis de cortar. E todas as cidades próximas dali chegariam para serem cortadas com uma grande fanfarra. Uma vez que escurecesse, [o ceifador] diria a eles: "O sol se pôs?" e eles responderiam "Sim!". O sol se pôs? e eles responderiam "Sim!" "Com isso uma foice?" e eles responderiam "Sim!", "Com isso uma foice?" e eles responderiam "Sim!" "Dentro desta cesta?", E eles responderiam "Sim!", "Dentro desta cesta?" e eles responderiam "Sim!" No Shabat, ele lhes dizia: "É Shabat?" e eles responderiam "Sim!", "É Shabat?" e eles responderiam "Sim!" "Devo colher?" e eles responderiam "Reap!" "Devo colher?" e eles responderiam "Reap!" Três vezes para cada pergunta e eles responderiam: "Sim! Sim! Sim!" Porquê tanto? Para provar errado, os Baitusim [uma seita semelhante aos saduceus, que rejeitaram a Torá Oral], que diriam que o ômer só foi colhido no dia seguinte ao feriado de Pessach.
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
The agents of the court used to go out on the day before the festival and tie the unreaped grain in bunches to make it the easier to reap.
All the inhabitants of the towns near by assembled there, so that it might be reaped with a great demonstration.
As soon as it became dark he says to them: “Has the sun set?” And they answer, “Yes.” “Has the sun set?” And they answer, “Yes.” “With this sickle?” And they answer, “Yes.” “With this sickle?” And they answer, “Yes.” “Into this basket?” And they answer, “Yes.” “Into this basket?” And they answer, “Yes.”
On the Sabbath he says to them, “On this Sabbath?” And they answer, “Yes.” “On this Sabbath?” And they answer, “Yes.” “Shall I reap?” And they answer, “Reap.” “Shall I reap?” And they answer, “Reap.”
He repeated every matter three times, and they answer, “yes, yes, yes.”
And why all of this? Because of the Boethusians who held that the reaping of the omer was not to take place at the conclusion of the [first day of the] festival.
This mishnah describes the procedure that preceded the harvesting of the omer.
The end of this mishnah explains why they would make such a spectacle out of what is quite a simple act. The Boethusians were a group of Jews either similar to or identical with the Sadducees. As I stated in my introduction to yesterday’s mishnah, the Sadducees held that the omer was harvested on the Sabbath that followed the first day of the festival, and not on the evening after the first day of the festival.
According to our mishnah, they would make an exaggerated demonstration of reaping the omer in order to let people know that the halakhah was according to the Pharisees and not the Sadducees. These acts were polemical acts against a rival group of Jews. We should note that we don’t know if this was how the omer was actually harvested in Temple times. All we know is that this is how the rabbis envisioned it happening.
The mishnah itself is easily understood and therefore I have not commented below.