The Holiday Calendar II

COUNTING DAYS is a text-based Gemara mini-series focused on the Mitzvah of Sefirat Ha"Omer, the annual Post-Passover Counting of Days that leads us up to Shavuot -- the holiday commemorating the Giving of the Torah. The series began with the Reaping of fresh Barley for the firstling grain offering called The Omer, the eponymous source for our national count-up commandment. Tractate Menachot, Page 65b -- THE HOLIDAY CALENDAR II features a Deciphering of Divine Dates to Schedule G-d's Meetings! In this Episode we are introduced to Torah teachings brought forth by Sages in the need to defend our sacred unbroken traditions from theological challenges put forward by an ancient Heretical Jewish Sect. While these Sects have long been discarded into the dustbin of history, their heretical notions continue to plague us, and the record of the give-and-take is ever relevant. As our Sages theologically locked horns with these heretical detractors of Torah Judaism, many were inspired to mine cryptic biblical verses in greater depth. In doing so layers of hidden meaning were freshly revealed. In part two of THE HOLIDAY CALENDAR, we begin to review the first two teachings which analyze the scriptural scheduling of the Chagim, and are privy to their then novel insights. This is the fourth Episode of the series entitled COUNTING DAYS on Sefirat Ha'Omer.