PIDYON HA BEN: REDEMPTION OF THE FIRST BORN

Orthodox:

This redemption refers to a positive Biblical precept, to redeem from a Kohen the first born son of his mother. It was originally intended that the first born son of every family be consecrated to the service of G’d . "For every first born is mine........(Numbers 8:17) Therefore Jews understand that also the first animal and fruit is God's.

When the sin of the Golden Calf, only the tribe of the Levites did not participate in the sin. Therefore, they were elected to substitute the first born son of every family of the people of Israel. Still the first born have to be legally redeemed from that service, which they will not perform.

The Pidyon Ha Ben is required only if the child opens the womb of his mother (no previous miscarriages), the child is male, and the father is no Kohen, nor Levi, nor is the mother the daughter of a Kohen or a Levi. A first born male delivered by Caesarian section is not required a Pedyon Ha Ben.

The Pidyon Ha Ben ceremony should be held the 31st day after the bris/t. If it is held before it is not valid. This ceremony is not done on Shabbat or other holidays , because money is used in the ritual.

It is the responsibility of the father to redeem his son. If the father never gets around to it, the boy after his thirteen birthday can redeem himself.

A Kohen is needed to perform the simple ceremony. It is customary to use 5 silver coins of any monetary denomination to symbolize the 5 Shekel prescribed in the Torah (Bible). In the ceremony the child is redeemed with the 5 coins . The father gives the money to the Kohen, who passes the coins over the baby’s head and says, "this is in place of this...." the Kohen says the priestly benediction , and the ceremony concludes with a blessing over a cup of wine.

Reform:

"It is the duty of every Jew to redeem his son, who is the mother's firstborn". This still commonly practiced ceremony is known as Pidyon Ha-Ben, redeeming of the redemption of the first born son. The first born son, both historically and biblically, has always held a favored position. Biblical legal rights gave preference to the first born son, genealogical records usually site the first borns the right of secession among royalty. Being first born, held a special status that was noted in pre-Biblical heathen days; these sons were usually offered as a sacrifice. Jews have never performed human sacrifice; for them sacrifice has been symbolic and substitutive. The first born of Israel originally belonged to the service of God. Later the tribe of Levi was chosen to replace the first born of all the other tribes in Israel's collective service to the Sanctuary.

Today the Pidyon Ha-Ben ceremony is done on the thirty-first day of life, excluding the Shabbat and mayor holidays, although it can be gone on intermediate days.. It is usually done in the daytime. All Jews are required to do it, with certain exceptions: if the first born is the son of a kohen or levi, the child is not redeemed. If the boy was born via caesarean birth, or after a miscarriage, there is no Pidyon Ha-Ben. If the mother has had a prior abortion, the issue is debatable, and a competent rabbi in the specific area should be consulted. The Bible itself fixes the redemption amount as "five shekels of silver". Today five silver dollars are used. The Bank of Israel, in conjunction with the government, has minted special "redemption coins" which can be used. The ceremony is conducted following an Aramaic formula in which the kohen asks the father if he wishes to redeem his son. Technically, however, a "no" answer would be invalid under Jewish law. The exchange of coinage for son takes place, after which the kohen and father recite several benedictions. After the ceremony itself, the money is usually returned to the father and then donated to charity, and a festive meal is served.