Sefira, Sundays, & Sadducees - Emor 5771

23:15 (וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה) We have a Mitzvah to count Sefira and we are now standing in middle of the days of Sefira. The other night someone asked me a question. When we count we say the number of days, today is the 16^th day of the Omer. Now in Hebrew when we count, we count using the words Rishon, Sheini, Shlishi, Revii, Chamishi. The Aliyos are called the first Aliya, the second Aliya, the third Aliya..  We use Sheini, Shlishi, Revii, Chamishi, Shishi. When we count the days of the week we say Hayom Yom Rishon, Hayom Yom Sheini, Hayom Yom Shlishi. So we count the days of the week by saying the first day, the second day, the third day. In that case shouldn’t we do the same thing we count Sefiras Omer, this is the first day of the Omer, this is the second day of the Omer, this is the third day of the Omer? Why do we change the manner of counting by saying Hayom Sh’losha Yamim B’omer, today is 3 days to the Omer, shouldn’t we say today is the third day to the Omer? 

I am not sure what the Inyan is but I would suggest the following. The Posuk says (וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה).  We understand that we start counting from the day after the first day of Pesach. We interpret Shabbos as a reference to that day. The Tzedokim understood this to mean that it was only on a Sunday that Sefiras Haomer would start. In every year no matter when Pesach fell the Tzedokim would count from Sunday. If so, we may well understand why Chazal instituted a language of Sefiras Haomer that we use in avoiding saying Hayom Yom Rishon, Hayom Yom Sheini, Hayom Yom Shlishi. The language of Yom Rishon is used for Sunday, Yom Sheini for Monday, Yom Shlishi for Tuesday. According to the Tzedokim it was so. The first day was always a Sunday, the second day always a Monday, the third day always a Tuesday. So perhaps the reason why we are Meshane and say Hayom Echad B’omer, Hayom Shnei Yomim B’omer is to avoid the interpretation of the Tzedokim and to say today is 2 days to the Omer and to avoid using a language that would imply Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and of course once we use that language the first 7 days we stay with that language for the whole Sefira.