A Bewildering Mitzvah

A pidyon haben is a joyous and pain-free occasion. All agree that we recite Shehechiyanu on this special occasion. However, many find this mitzvah to be exceedingly bewildering. Does the kohen own the baby? Does the father purchase his baby from the kohen?

Why are there so many exemptions from this mitzvah to the extent that a pidyon haben is relatively uncommon? The child must be a firstborn male, the father cannot be a kohen or levi, the mother may not be a bat kohen or bat levi, the birth must have been a natural one, and there must not have been a prior miscarriage. In honor of the recent pidyon haben of my grandson Shmuel David Perton, let us try to comprehend this puzzling mitzvah.

Re-creating vs. Commemorating

Jews do not merely remember or commemorate the great event of the past. Instead, we re-create and re-stage the event. For example, at the Seder, we are not merely telling the story of Yetzi’at Mitzrayim. Instead, we are reliving this momentous occurrence and make every effort to feel as if we left Mitzrayim. We relive the midbar episode on Sukkot and re-experience Matan Torah on Shavuot.

In a most interesting letter, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik explains the reason behind pidyon haben to a Catholic priest (“Community, Covenant, and Commitment,” pages 292-302). The pidyon haben, the Rav explains, is a re-staging of Akedat Yitzchak.

Re-staging Akedat Yitzchak

The parents symbolize Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imeinu, the baby plays the role of Yitzchak, and finally, the kohen (l’havdil) represents none other than Hashem. The five silver coins are comparable to the ram that replaced Yitzchak. Some Ashkenazic texts call for the kohen to state “zeh tachat zeh,” the money stands in the child’s stead. Most interestingly, the Sephardic version of the pidyon haben includes the kohen posing questions not only to the father as to his intent to redeem the child but also to the mother verifying that the child meets the halachic standards of a bechor. This interaction emphasizes the mother’s role as Sarah Imenu in the ceremony.

Akeidat Yitzchak inculcates the mindset that, as David HaMelech proclaims (Tehillim 24:1-2), “LaHashem haAretz umelo’ah, tevel v’yoshevei vah.” Everything in this universe is owned by Hashem, including all of its inhabitants, by His having created the world. By placing Yitzchak on the altar, Avraham Avinu acknowledges that his precious child truly belongs to Hashem. Hashem returns Yitzchak to Avraham and Sarah with a renewed mindset that parents do not own their child. Instead, they are entrusted by Hashem with a sacred stewardship to raise the child to follow His ways. The powerful ceremony of pidyon haben communicates the same profound message.

The pidyon haben also reinforces the message of Makat Bechorot. The Korban Pesach replaced the Jewish bechorim at this momentous occasion, in the same manner that the ram replaced Yitzchak Avinu at the Akeda. For this reason, the Torah introduces the mitzvah of pidyon haben in the wake of Makat Bechorot (Shemot 13:13).

Explaining the Many Exemptions

Why then do we not perform this ceremony with each child? I suggest that the Torah seeks to re-create the scene of Akedat Yitzchak. Yitzchak is the firstborn male to Sarah Imenu, who did not experience a miscarriage before Yitzchak’s birth. Neither Avraham nor Sarah was a kohen or a levi; they are the progenitors of all of Am Yisrael. Finally, Yitzchak did not enter the world with a C-section delivery.

The Bewildering Dialogue
Between the Kohen and the Father

The Sephardic and Ashkenazic tradition includes a potentially misleading dialogue between the kohen and the father. The kohen asks, “Mai ba’it tefei,” which do you prefer, the child or the five sela’im? This question might give the impression that the father chooses when he is obligated to redeem the child. There is no option to leave the child with the kohen and retain the money (Rama Yoreh De’ah 305:10). For this reason, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik (as I heard from his grandson Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik) omitted this question at a pidyon haben at which he would officiate.

The Rambam (Hilchot Bikkurim Chapter 11) does not mention this exchange, and Yemenite Jews do not include this exchange in their pidyon haben ceremony. While everyone should follow his edah’s tradition, this exchange should not create the wrong impression. This dialogue, which is cited by the Rama (op. cit.) and dates back to the time of the Geonim, is intended to make the mitzvah more beloved. For further discussion of this most intriguing interchange, please see https://www.biu.ac.il/jh/parasha/bo/stu.html.

Conclusion

My son-in-law, Yisroel Meir Perton, adds a crucial dimension to our understanding of the pidyon. He notes that the money devoted to the redemption focuses our attention on the financial resources parents must expend to raise a child in the path of Torah u’mitzvot. Pidyon haben reminds us that Hashem bestows children as a sacred trust and that it is a priceless privilege and opportunity to raise children in the derech Hashem.

Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He also serves as a rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth.