Passover (Nisan 14) may fall on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or weekly Sabbath, and it falls on the weekly Sabbath roughly once in eleven years, less than 13 percent of the time. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are separate festivals with different teachings (Leviticus 23:5-6). Passover teaches the death of the Savior covering sin, while Unleavened Bread teaches coming out of sin and overcoming. Unleavened Bread lasts seven days (Exodus 12:15-20; 13:3-7; Leviticus 23:6-8), and adding Passover would make it an unscriptural eight. When Passover is a weekly Sabbath, the next day, Nisan 15, is a Sunday and the first holy day. The last day of Unleavened Bread then falls on the weekly Sabbath, which is the only weekly Sabbath within the feast that year. Because Passover is not part of Unleavened Bread, the Sabbath it falls on does not qualify as the weekly Sabbath within the feast. The count to Pentecost therefore begins the day after the Sabbath ending Unleavened Bread, one day outside the feast, which keeps the rule consistent with all other years. Beginning the count on the Sunday holy day instead adds to Scripture and creates an exception. No Jewish group ever observed Wavesheaf Day on a Sabbath. Jesus' crucifixion on a Wednesday Passover does not make every Passover a Wednesday, and likewise His particular timing does not alter the calendar rules of Leviticus 23.

According to Hebrew Calendar rules, Passover, observed on Nisan 14, can fall only on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or weekly Sabbath. Over the past century, it has occurred on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday in just over 87% of the years. When Passover falls on a Monday, the weekly Sabbath within the Days of Unleavened Bread is Nisan 19, and Wavesheaf Day, the start of the count to Pentecost, is Sunday, Nisan 20. If Passover is on a Wednesday, the weekly Sabbath is Nisan 17, with Wavesheaf Day on Sunday, Nisan 18. When Passover occurs on a Friday, the weekly Sabbath coincides with Nisan 15, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, making Wavesheaf Day Nisan 16. The date of Wavesheaf Day shifts based on the day of Passover, which in turn affects the date of Pentecost. Since the weekly Sabbath is always on a Saturday, Wavesheaf Day consistently falls on a Sunday, and counting fifty days from that point ensures Pentecost also occurs on a Sunday. These rules also allow for Wavesheaf Day to occasionally fall outside the Days of Unleavened Bread, following the established patterns of the Hebrew Calendar.

Passover is not a Sabbath, so it cannot anchor the count to Pentecost, and no calendar exception is allowed when it falls on a weekly Sabbath. The dates of God's festivals in Leviticus 23 have never changed; only some of the ceremonies performed on them changed. Just as nothing after Exodus 20 altered the weekly Sabbath, nothing after Leviticus 23 alters the Pentecost count. The Wave Sheaf is waved "on the morrow after the Sabbath," and the definite article points to the weekly Sabbath that falls within the Days of Unleavened Bread. Only that Sabbath fits the command to count, because its date shifts each year with Passover's weekday and so requires counting, whereas counting from the fixed-date Holy Day Sabbaths would always land on Sivan 6 or 12 and need no counting. The same count every year, whatever day Passover falls on, produces consistency. Joshua 5 cannot establish an exception. Israel made no Wave Sheaf there because the grain came from a stranger's hand, was not sown and labored over by Israel, and cost them nothing. The required accompanying offerings also had to be made at a Tabernacle that was not yet established, and the Wave Sheaf pictures the sinless risen Christ. Luke 6:1 and the Greek word deuteroprotos are guesswork and prove nothing. Jewish groups never counted from any Sabbath outside Unleavened Bread. Scripture gives no authority to create an exception to Leviticus 23:10-16.

The Passover date is fixed on the 14th of Nisan, but the day of the week it falls on varies, and Hebrew calendar rules always place it on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday. That weekday determines the date of the weekly Sabbath within the Days of Unleavened Bread, and therefore Wavesheaf Day and Pentecost. The first and last days of Unleavened Bread are fixed on the 15th and 21st, but the weekly Sabbath between them moves. Pentecost carries no fixed date in Leviticus 23 and must be counted each year, beginning the day after that weekly Sabbath. When Passover falls on Monday, the Sabbath is Nisan 19, Wavesheaf is the 20th, and Pentecost is Sivan 10. On Wednesday, the Sabbath is the 17th, Wavesheaf the 18th, and Pentecost Sivan 8. On Friday, the Sabbath is the 15th, which is also the first day of Unleavened Bread, Wavesheaf is the 16th, and Pentecost is Sivan 6. On Saturday, the only weekly Sabbath within the festival is the 21st, a double Sabbath with the last day of Unleavened Bread, so Wavesheaf is the 22nd and Pentecost is Sivan 12. Counting inclusively in Hebrew fashion from a Sunday always ends on a Sunday. Counting from a fixed date, such as the day after the first or last day of Unleavened Bread, always yields the same date and so nullifies the command to count. Passover is a separate festival from Unleavened Bread, and no authority exists to change the counting rule when Passover falls on the weekly Sabbath.

In addressing the calendar rules for Passover, it is essential to recognize the distinct separation between Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread as established by God. Passover occurs on the 14th of Nisan, while Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th, as clearly stated in Leviticus 23:5-6. Though related, they are separate festivals with distinct teachings, and blending them into one introduces confusion into the instruction. Popular usage in New Testament times sometimes referred to Passover as the first of the unleaveneds due to the use of unleavened bread in the Passover service, but the Old Testament maintains a clear distinction, showing this to be merely a customary practice rather than a legal definition. Therefore, Passover, even when it falls on a weekly Sabbath, is not legally part of the Days of Unleavened Bread and cannot be used to determine the wavesheaf day. Using Passover as the starting point for the count to Pentecost would place the wavesheaf offering on a Sabbath, violating the instruction in Leviticus 23:11 and Deuteronomy 16:9, which require it to be after the Sabbath on a common workday. The consistent rule remains to begin the count from the weekly Sabbath within the Days of Unleavened Bread, ensuring clarity in observing these appointed times as God has directed.

The following is a concise rewrite of the sections related to 'Passover, Calendar Rules for' from the provided material, maintaining the original tone and focusing on the specific calendar details and rules as they relate to the broader context of significant events and timelines. —- The observance of Passover and its associated calendar rules are deeply tied to significant historical and covenantal events marking God's faithfulness. Passover is to be kept on the fourteenth day of the first month, at evening, specifically during the twilight period known as ben ha arbayim, which occurs just after sunset when light still remains. This timing, at the very beginning of the 14th of Abib, aligns with the historical moment when the Israelites in Egypt killed the Passover lambs as recorded in Exodus 12:5-6. Following the Passover observance, any remains of the lambs are to be burned, and the people are to stay in their homes until morning. The daylight portion of the 14th serves as a preparation day for the 15th of Abib, which begins at sunset and marks the start of the First Day of Unleavened Bread and the Night To Be Much Observed. This night, detailed in Exodus 12:42, commemorates the exact moment of Israel's release from Egypt, occurring precisely 430 years to the day after the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:17. The timeline of these events parallels other significant moments, such as Christ's crucifixion and entombment, reinforcing the precision of these dates. On the 15th of Abib, beginning at sunset, the Israelites ate unleavened bread as commanded, sourced from the produce of the land, as seen in Joshua 5:11. This observance of the Night To Be Much Observed is a memorial of God's faithfulness to His promises, both in the release from physical bondage in Egypt and in the spiritual release through Christ's sacrifice. The calendar sequence ensures that these events are observed at the correct times, with the 15th focusing on the night portion rather than the daylight, highlighting its significance over any other activities or offerings that might be assumed for that day. —-