CHAPTER TWO - Birth Ceremonies and Life Beginnings

A: BACKGROUND

15. A FINAL CEREMONY - AND A FINAL CHALLENGE: REDEEMING THE FIRSTBORN - PIDYON HABEN

The last ceremony that we shall address is that known as "Pidyon HaBen" - the ceremony of the redemption of the first born son. This ceremony, performed a month after the birth of a first son, is based on a number of ideas that we find in the Torah. We bring here the relevant quotations.

And the Lord spoke to Moses saying "Sanctify to Me all the first-born males. The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, both of man and of beast…You are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb."
Shemot 13: 1,2,12

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman... Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel…The Levites are to be Mine. I am the Lord. To redeem the firstborn Israelites…collect five shekels for each one. Give the money for the redemption… to Aaron and his sons."
Bamidbar 3: 11,12,45,48

Then the Lord said to Aaron…,"Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours. The first offspring of every womb, both man and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son…When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver."
Bamidbar 18: 8, 14-16

The basic idea comes from the concept that each firstborn male has a special sanctity in the eyes of G-d. Each firstborn male was to have a special responsibility to serve G-d, just as firstborn animals and fruits were considered ideal gifts and sacrifices for G-d. (This is reflected in the first quotation.)

However, the situation changed, according to the Torah, after the sin of the Golden Calf, where the firstborn Israelites led the immoral and unacceptable rituals around the calf. As a result, we are told, G-d rescinded their special status as those who ministered in a holy capacity and transferred it to the tribe of Levites. From then on, it was only the latter who would provide the priesthood and the other officiators in the Divine rituals.

There was therefore a need to remove the special status of all firstborn sons and to vest it in the Cohanim (priests) and Leviim (other Levites). The firstborn sons appear to have been viewed as still having some residual special holiness and therefore needed to be released in an individual ceremony, which is conducted by a priest. This is the origin of the ceremony called the Pidyon HaBen (which is, therefore, not performed if the baby's father, or mother, is either a Levi or a Cohen).

In this ceremony, the firstborn son is released from his ritual obligation to minister to G-d in a full-time capacity. In exchange for a symbolic sum of money, the firstborn son is "redeemed" from his obligations. He should still serve G-d as every Jew does, but his specific responsibilities and obligations are transferred to the Cohen (priest).

This ceremony, as mentioned is performed on the thirty first day after the birth (unless this falls on Shabbat (Sabbath) and chagim (festival days), when it is delayed). It is considered binding for every non-Levi and Cohen, who is the firstborn son of a mother (the operative criteria here are: born - from a mother's womb). Pidyon HaBen is therefore also irrelevant in two more cases:

• when it is the firstborn son of a father, if that father is married to a woman who has had a son by a previous marriage;
• for a firstborn son born through a Caesarean section, who is not bound, since he does not exit through the womb.

Without analyzing the ceremony in any detail, we shall focus on the obvious symbolism of the ritual. According to Jewish tradition, we are to remember that our first responsibility is to G-d: all Jews are seen as having obligations in this realm, some more than others. Ultimately, there will be those who will dedicate themselves totally to the service of G-d and the People, but all have some responsibility. The firstborn sons of the Pidyon HaBen ceremony represent those who are released from direct ritual responsibility, but who retain their place in the framework of Judaism (e.g.with the Fast of the Firstborn, on Erev Pesach - Passover Eve).

It is hardly surprising that this ritual has a lesser appeal for many Jews today than the Brit milah or naming ceremony and is therefore less observed:

• The idea of primary service to G-d does not appeal to all.
• Indeed, the idea of having a G-d who should be served at all is alien to many Jews today, while that of payment as a release from obligation is also one that some will find unappetizing.

Nevertheless, there is potential meaning that deserves consideration by all of us:

• The concept of higher values, to which we are obligated in service is important.
• The idea that there are limits to our abilities and our appetites is one that, in educational terms, is central to any value system.

It can rightly be maintained that these elements are present in the Brit ceremony, but it is one where they are often lost in the anxieties of the circumcision itself (for a boy) and in all the additional elements that surround the ceremony (such as the naming), in the case of a child of either sex. It could be argued that this Pidyon HaBen can become a purer and more exclusive focus on the idea that all of us should see ourselves as serving G-d, or serving G-dly values.