According to Rabbi Hershel Schachter's linguistic approach of מָר כִּי אַתְרֵיהּ (each according to their place)
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Rabbi Hershel Schachter, a prominent posek and Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), addresses an intriguing question regarding the proper formulation when counting the Omer. His approach is based on a Talmudic passage in Tractate Yoma that reveals how regional linguistic patterns should influence ritual declarations.
The foundation of Rabbi Schachter's approach lies in Tractate Yoma 55a, which describes the Kohen Gadol's counting of blood sprinklings on Yom Kippur:
"The Rabbis taught: [When the Kohen Gadol counts the sprinklings, he says:] 'One, one and one, one and two, one and three, one and four, one and five, one and six, one and seven.' These are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: [He counts:] 'One, one and one, two and one, three and one, four and one, five and one, six and one, seven and one.'"
The Gemara then reconciles this apparent dispute:
"And they do not disagree: one [speaks] according to [the counting convention in] his place, and one [speaks] according to [the counting convention in] his place."
This resolution indicates that the difference between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda is not a substantive disagreement about halakha, but rather reflects the different linguistic conventions of their respective regions. The formulation of the count is determined by regional counting practices and speech patterns.
Rabbi Schachter draws upon the commentary of the Magen Avraham (Rabbi Abraham Abele Gombiner, 1635-1682) on Orach Chaim 489:5, who applies this Talmudic principle to the counting of the Omer:
"One should always mention the smaller number first, such as 'one and twenty days' as seen in Even Ha'ezer 126. However, in Yoma 55a it states that everything follows the counting custom of the country, and in our country, even in secular speech, we mention the smaller number first."
"Today is one and twenty days, which are three weeks of the Omer"
This follows the traditional Yiddish counting style: ein un tsvantsik (one and twenty)
"Today is twenty-one days, which are three weeks of the Omer"
This follows modern Hebrew and English convention: עשרים ואחד (twenty-one)
Rabbi Schachter observes that the linguistic convention referenced by the Magen Avraham—placing the smaller number first—was common in Yiddish, the vernacular of many Jewish communities in previous centuries. The Magen Avraham explicitly states: ובמדינתינו אף בלשון חול מזכירין מנין המועט קודם (and in our country, even in everyday speech, we mention the smaller number first).
However, contemporary language conventions in both modern Hebrew and English typically place the larger number first ("twenty-one" rather than "one and twenty"). Rabbi Schachter argues that applying the principle of מָר כִּי אַתְרֵיהּ today would mean expressing the count as "today is twenty-one days" rather than "today is one and twenty days."
According to Rabbi Schachter, this linguistic adaptation is a form of הידור מצוה (enhancement of the commandment) based on the Talmudic principle. The appropriate formulation should be כפי יופי הסיגנון (according to the beauty of expression) in the local vernacular.
Despite the strength of Rabbi Schachter's argument, prayer books continue to use the traditional formulation with the smaller number mentioned first. This creates a tension between adherence to printed texts and the logic of adapting to contemporary linguistic norms.
For practical purposes, the difference in formulation does not invalidate the counting (בדיעבד one fulfills the obligation regardless), but there is still an ideal way (לכתחילה) to perform the mitzvah that would align with contemporary speech patterns.