Igrot Kodesh · Letter 6298 — Faith & Bitachon

(note 1: This is the response to someone who had traveled from Australia to the United States during the period of the Omer*, thus crossing the time zone of the date change. On the evening of his arrival in America, he recited a blessing and counted the Omer* as was done in the United States, thus repeating a second time the count he had made the previous evening in Australia. Subsequently, after an interruption, he counted once more the Omer* as he would have done had he remained in Australia. Then, from the following day on, he maintained only the count corresponding to the United States. He was therefore asking the Rebbe* whether this was indeed what he should do. See, on this subject, Letter no. 6415)

Period of the Omer* 5718

1) In the future, you will hear it from someone else (note 2: The blessing and the count, this man being unable to continue them himself).

2) You will continue the count in the manner in which you began it (note 3: That is, according to the Australian count). In my opinion, it is this manner that is essential for you. Then, as a supplement, you will also say the count as it is established here. You will introduce an interruption in between, so that you do not make the two counts one after the other, which would appear to be a falsehood (note 4: The second contradicting the first) and would go against this very notion of counting, which implies clarity. It therefore cannot be established for the benefit of the doubt. For this reason, one may ask whether you could have recited this blessing, even if you had from the outset maintained both counts (note 5: The Australian and the American, insofar as the trip was planned from the outset).

You will ask the Rabbanim* to decide the Halachah* concerning the festival of Shavuos* (note 6: Should this festival be celebrated according to the Australian count or the American one?). Indeed, as has been said, Shavuos* is fixed solely according to the count of each individual and not according to that of the rabbinical court. Perhaps you must therefore anticipate it by one day, celebrating it on Shabbos* and Sunday (note 7: Instead of Sunday and Monday, as was the case in this year 5718).

ו'רצח

[ימי הספירה תשי"ח] 1) בהנוגע להבא צ ישמע מאחר.

2) יספור ע"פ מה שהתחיל (שלדעתי זוהי העיקרית אצלו) וליתר שאת גם כפי שסופרים כאן, ובהפסק ביניהם ולא בסמיכות (דמחזי כשיקרא, וגם שזהו היפך לענין הספירה צ היינו בירור ולא ספק, שלכן צ"ע אם הי' יכול לברך אפילו אם כל הימים הי' סופר ב' ספירות).

יבקש הרבנים לפס"ד בהנוגע לחגה"ש, כי ע"פ הנ"ל חגה"ש (הנקבע רק ע"י ספירת כאו"א ולא דב"ד) צ"ל אצלו מוקדם יום אחד (ש"ק ויום א').

ו'רחצ

נדפסה בלקו"ש ח"ז ע' 295, והוא מענה לא' שנסע בימי הספירה מאוסטרליה לארה"ב דרך קו התאריך. ובליל א' לבואו בירך וספר כמו שסופרים בארה"ב (אעפ"י שכבר ספר ספירה זו) ואחרי הפסקה ספר ג"כ כמו שסופרים באוסטרליה, ומליל ב' ואילך בירך וספר רק כמו שסופרים בארה"ב, אם נכון לעשות כן.

ראה גם לקמן אגרת ו'תטו, ובהנסמן בהערות שם.