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The Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt ... Now the flax and the bailey were ruined, for the barley was in the ear (aviv), and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the emmer were not hurt, for they ripen late. -Exod.9:23,31-3~2.) In ancient Israelite culture, the connection between Passover and barley went even deeper than the biblical verse suggests. The date of the beginning of the Hebrew month of Nisan, in which Passover falls, was actually contingent upon the ripening of the barley sheaf, rather than on the calendar of lunar and solar cycles, which was fixed later. If the barley wasn't ripe by the end of the month of Adar, which precedes Nisan, then a second Adar, known as Adar Bet, would be declared, so that the barley would be ripe for Passover. Barley was a prerequisite for the start of the holiday because, at Passover, a sheaf of barley would be taken up to the Temple as a wave offering (an offering that was lifted into the air). That barley was known as the Omer. The Omer signalled the beginning of the next agricultural-cum-holiday cycle: the 50-day countdown to Shavuot. Only at Shavuot would the year's new wheat be ready for harvesting. The Passover matza (unleavened bread) was made from the previous year's wheat supply, now down to its last reserves. "The time of the Omer was a dangerous time for the wheat, because the grain was ripening, and heavy winds, heat, or a rainstorm could hurt the crop. So it was a period of trepidation, of fear for the future. Every day was a countdown to the harvest."
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