רבי ישמעאל אומר העומר היה בא בשבת – when the sixteenth of Nisan occurs on the Sabbath, the Omer supersedes the Sabbath, for any sacrifice whose time is fixed supersedes the Sabbath and ritual impurity. The Omer comes from three Seah, that they would reap three Seah of barley and wave it in a sieve until he places them upon on choice Issaron/tenth.

בשלשה בני אדם ובשלש קופות ובשלש מגלות – to publicize the matter that the reaping of the Omer occurs on the aftermath of the fifteenth day of Nisan. Because the Sadducees would say that the Omer does not come other than on Sunday (i.e., the first day of the week).

מצות העומר לבוא מן הקרוב – from a place that is close to Jerusalem because they do forego the occasion for performing a religious commandment, therefore, when they go out from Jerusalem to search for the Omer, that grain that he finds first he takes it.

לא ביכר – it didn’t ripen all of the way.

מעשה שבא מגגות צריפין ועין סוכר – greatly distant from Jerusalem, because the ravaging [Roman] troos destroyed all the grain that was surrounding Jerusalem.

כריכות – they wrap up and tie the tops of the spikes/ears of corn as large as a fist.

מתכנסות לשם – at the conclusion of the Holy Day when they cut it.

כדי נקצר בעסק גדול – with the great sound. That the Sadducees will know that the conclusion of the first Holy Day [of Passover] they reap it, because they did not admit to this, as will be seen further on.

אמר להן – the reaper , to the people of the villages that are standing upon him: Did the sun set? And they respond to him: “Yes.”

מגל זה – meaning to say, shall I reap the grain with this scythe?

קופה זו – shall I put the grain into this basket?

שבת זו – shall I reap on this Sabbath? And they said to him: “Yes.”

שלש פעמים – he asks them about each and every matter.

וכל כך – that he would ask. Why?

מפני הצדוקים והביתוסים שהיו אומרים אין קצירת העומר במוצאי יום טוב – other than on Saturday night (i.e., after the Sabbath day), as it is written (Leviticus 23:15): “[And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering -] the day after the sabbath – you shall count off [seven weeks].” From the first day after the Sabbath of creation is implied, and it is a tradition in our hands that from the day after the sabbath which is the conclusion of the first Holy Day of Passover, whether it occurs on a weekday or whether it occurs on a Sabbath. And similarly, we found in the Book of Joshua (5:11): “On the day after the Passover offering, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the country, unleavened bread and parched grain,” for behold it states in the Torah (Leviticus 23:14): “Until that very day, [until you have brought the offering of your God], you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears,” but from after that it held in suspense the permission of the new grain on the aftermath [of the first day] of Passover, the matter was clear that the aftermath of [the first day of] Passover is what permits the new grain and on it, they reap the Omer whether the first Holy Day of Passover occurs on a weekday or whether it occurs on the Sabbath. And therefore, the reapers raise their voices in order that the Boethusians will hear it and to remove it (i.e., the practice of waiting until the Saturday night after the holiday) from their hearts. And they reap the Omer at night and not during the day, as it is written (Leviticus 23:15): “And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering – the day after the sabbath – you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete,” and it is impossible to be “complete” unless one begins to count from the beginning of the nighttime, for the nighttime is the beginning of the day, and behold it states (Deuteronomy 16:9): “start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain,” so we see that the reaping is at night at the time when they begin to count.

מהבהבין אותו באור (they parch it in fire) – while it is still in the ears, in order to fulfill through it the Mitzvah of parched ears , as it is written (Leviticus 2:14): “[If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to the LORD,] you shall bring near ears parched with fire, and Scripture is speaking of the meal-offering of the Omer.

וחכמים אומרים – first they knock upon the ears [to thresh the grain out], and not in the manner of dry grain that they beat it with a staff, but rather with moist reeds.

ובקליחות – with stalks of cabbage, in order that it would not be crushed.

נתנוהו לאבוב – for the Rabbis hold that if they parch it with actual fire, it is not called “parched ears,” but rather through another thing, which is through a utensil, that they place it in the iron tube for roasting grain, and this is a perforated utensil of copper/bronze that sellers of parched ears parch it. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

ברחיים של גרוסות (grist grinders’ mills) – that they don’t mill/grind it thin, but rather thick, for if they grind it well, the coarse bran flour of the husks will pass through in the winnow with the choice flour. And [the word] גרוסות/grist is the language of a dish of grounded beans and as such it is called grist of early ripened and tender barley (see Tractate Menahot 68b).

וחייב בחלה – that the obligation [to separate] Hallah which is the rolling of this started dough that is in the hand of the lay person/commoner after it is redeemed.

ופטור מן המעשרות – that its being evenly shaped is in the hands of that which is dedicated to Temple property, and the giving of a pile of grain an even shape that is dedicated to Temple property is exempt from the tithes.

ר"ע מחייב – this flour that remains from the Issaron of the Omer.

בחלה ובמעשרות – because they did not give money to consecrated property, therefore, the giving of a pile of grain an even shape is not consecrated property , for it is not sacred. But the Halakah is not according to Rabbi Akiva.

בא לו לעשרון – he puts in its oil first and its frankincense prior to giving the choice flour.

יצק ובלל – after putting in the choice flour in the manner of all the meal-offerings that they put oil into a utensil firs and afterwards put in the choice flour and he goes back and pours upon it oil and mingles it.

הניף והגיש – the meal-offering of the Omer requires waving and bringing it near, as we stated in [Tractate Menahot] Chapter [Five], “All the Meal-Offerings” [Mishnah 6].

שלא ברצון חכמים – that he decreed that lest one eats from the new crop (i.e., grain that ripened before Passover. The Torah prohibits harvesting and eating this produce until after the Omer offering on the 16th of Nisan) when they reap prior to offering up the Omer sacrifice, and this is already certain flour that has been harvested prior to the Omer.

ר' יהודה אומר ברצון חכמים – that they did not decree lest he eats when he harvests/reaps. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda.

והרחוקים – that do not know if the Omer was yet offered.

מותרים מחצו היום ולהלן – as its reason will be taught further on.

שיהא יום הנף – the sixteenth of Nisan that on it they would wave the Omer (see also Tractate Rosh Hashanah, Chapter Four, Mishnah Three and also Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 12).

כולו אסור – to eat on it the new crop.

אמר ר' יהודה – to the Tanna of our Mishnah, for Rabban Yohanan [ben Zakkai] ordained/established the practice.

והלא מן התורה אסור – at the time [of the Torah], when the Temple didn’t exist. For two Biblical verses are written, one verse states (Leviticus 23:14): “Until that very day/עד עצם היום הזה, [until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears,” that it implies that the essence of [that] entire day it is prohibited, up to and including, and the other verse states (Leviticus 23:14): “until you have brought the offering of your God,” that implies that after [bringing] the sacrifice of the Omer it is permitted. How so? Here (i.e., in the second part of the verse just quoted), at the time when the Temple exists; there (i.e., the first part of the verse), at the time when the Temple does not exist. Hence, we see that at the time when the Temple does not exist, the Omer is not offered, it is that the day of waving is completely forbidden (and see the parallel Mishnah mentioned above from Tractate Rosh Hashanah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 3). But the Gemara (Tractate Menahot 68b) responds that what is taught in the Mishnah: “Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai ordained that the day of waving [of the Omer, the Second Day of Passover] should be wholly prohibited [in respect to new produce],” you should not say, that he ordained, but rather that he expounded and ordained, that is to say, he expounded on these Biblical verses in public and informed them that this is the law, that the day of waving [of the Omer] should be wholly prohibited from the Torah from when the Temple was destroyed. But there are those who expound upon the Gemara (see also Tractate Menahot 68a), that the new crop is not prohibited from the Torah on the sixteenth day of Nisan at the time when there is no Temple but rather only until the eastern horizon is broken through/filled with light in the morning of the sixteenth day [of Nisan], as it is written (Leviticus 23:14): “Until that very day,” up to, but not including, and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai ordained that the day of waving would be wholly prohibited, because speedily the Temple should be rebuilt and people would say last year, did we not consume it (i.e., the new crop) from when the eastern horizon is broken through/filled with light, that now also we will eat, but they did not known that at the time of the Temple (i.e., when it existed), it was forbidden to eat new crops until the Omer was offered, as it is written (Leviticus 23:14): “until you have brought the offering of your God. And this we explained in the chapter [of Tractate Sukkah], “The Stolen Lulav” [Chapter 3, Mishnah 12].

העומר היה מתיר במדינה – to eat the new crop in all places.

ושתי הלחם במקדש – that prior to [bringing of] the two loaves, they don’t bring a meal-offering from the new grain, as it is written in regard to the two loaves (Numbers 28:26): “[On the day of first fruits, your Feast of Weeks,] when you bring an offering of new grain [to the LORD,” that it will be new for all of he meal-offerings.

ומנחת בהמה – the meal-offering of libations of the cattle.

ואם הביא – prior to the [offering of the] Omer sacrifice.

פסול – for the new crop was not permitted by implication even with regard to the lay person/commoner. But prior to the [sacrifice of] the two loaves, he should not bring.

ואם ההביא כשר – for it was already permitted by implication with regard to the lay person/commoner.

ומצטרפין זה עם זה – to complete the measure of the started dough that is liable for [separating out] Hallah [for the Kohen] (see Tractate Hallah, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1 and Chapter 2, Mishnah 6). But they don’t require all of them together for one type mixed with another do not combine, but rather the wheat combines with he spelt alone because they are a species of wheat (see Tractate Pesahim 35a), but the barley combines with all except for the wheat. And even though that spelt is a kind of wheat, it is not exactly the special of wheat, but rather a type of barley and even a type of wheat, and they combine with the wheat and the barley. But however, in the Jerusalem Talmud it implies that if they were kneaded together, they combine, even one type mixed with another type. But if they were not kneaded together, but rather afterwards the started dough would become affixed to each other, one type with a similar type combine, but [one type] mixed with another type do not combine.

ואסורים בחדש – as it is written (Leviticus 23:14): “Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears,” and we learn/derive [through an analogy of] "לחם""לחם" – from Passover. Just as there, from the five species, also here from the five species.

ומלקצור מלפני הפסח – that it is forbidden to harvest from the five species prior to the harvesting of the Omer. It is written with regard to the Omer (Leviticus 23:10): “[you shall bring] the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest,” that the beginning of all that is harvest, it comes (i.e., it is derived) [as an a fortiori/Kal VaHomer] "ראשית""ראשית" from Hallah, it is written there (Numbers 15:20): “as the first yield of our baking,” and it is written here (Leviticus 23:10): “[you shall bring] the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest,” just as there it is from the five species, so here too it is from the five species.

ואם השרישו – one of these five species prior to the reaping of the Omer.

העומר מתירן – and it is permitted to harvest them after the harvesting of the Omer. As it is written (Exodus 23:16): “[and the Feast of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work,] of what you sow in the field,” from the time that it is sown and takes root in the field.

ואם לאו – they did not take root other than after the reaping of the Omer.

אסורים שיבוא העומר הבא – of the coming year.

קוצרים בית השלחים שבעמקים – that their grain is bad and we don’t bring the Omer from there. And it is taught in a Baraitha (Tractate Menahot 71a), one verse states (Leviticus 23:10): “and you repeat its harvest and you shall bring the… sheaf,” that implies that you are able to reap prior to bring the Omer, and another verse (ibid.,) states: “the first sheaf of your harvest,” which implies that it will be the first of all the reaping, how is this possible? From a place that you are able to bring the Omer you do not reap prior to the Omer, [and] from a place that you cannot bring, as for example, the dry arid land in need of irrigation and the valleys where they don’t bring Omer from them because they are poor [quality], one reaps prior to [bringing] the Omer.

אבל לא גודשין – to make a heap. For whatever It is possible to change, we change.

אנשי יריחו – they had dry, arid lands requiring irrigation.

קוצר שחת – it is permissible to reap corn in its earliest stage [used instead of grass] prior to [the reaping of] the Omer and feed it to his cattle.

אימתי בזמן שהתחיל – to reap it for the needs of his cattle until it did not bring up the final third of the completion of its ripening, he reaps even after it brought up the third.

ר' שמעון אומר אף יקצור ויאכיל – he will begin to reap and feed it to his cattle when it brings forth a third [of its full growth], and all of the corn in its earliest stage [used instead of grass] is not reaping. But the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda who comes to explain the words of the first Tanna/teacher.

קוצרים – prior to the Omer.

מפני בנטיעות – that they will lose them. Because that grain is not appropriate for the Omer, as we stated in the chapter “All of the Sacrifices/כל הקרבנות” (Tractate Menahot, Chapter 8, Mishnah 2), we do not bring either from an arid irrigated field nor from a field containing at least three tees within a distance of a Seah, and above we stated (quoting from Tractate Menahot 71a), that from a place that you don’t bring [the Omer] you reap. Another explanation: “Because of the seedlings/מפני הנטיעות,” because of mixed seeds, because sometimes a person sows grain and there are no seedlings there, and after a time seedlings rise up there on their own between them, and one must reap he seeds because of mixed seeds/Kilyaim.

מפני בית האבל – that they lack the free space rto sit and to recite the blessing of comfort that we say in the House of Mourning.

ומפני בית המדרש – for there is no place for the students to sit. And the reason of all of these, is because reaping is a Commandment, and the Scriptural verse states (Leviticus 23:10): “the first sheaf of your harvest,” that the Omer will be the fist of your optional harvest and not the first of the command of reaping.

כריכות – bound large sheaves.

צבתים – bundles without tying. Another interpretation: bundles of bound large sheaves, heaps are small bundles

מן הקמח – that he would reap for its sake.

לא מצא – that everything was already reaped.

מן הלח – as it is written (Leviticus 23:14): “You shall eat no [bread or parched grain] or fresh ears,” that it is soft and brittle (see Tractate Menahot 66b).

לקצור בלילה – that we derived at the beginning of the chapter (see Tractate Menahot, Chapter 10, Mishnah 3), as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:9): “when the sickle is first put to the standing grain,” from the time that you count you reap, for the counting must be at night, as it is written (Leviticus 23:15): “you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete.” (see also Tractate Megillah, Chapter 2, Mishnah 6).