Pidyon HaBen
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Pidyon HaBen (Hebrew: פדיון הבן) is the redemption of the first-born, a ritual in Judaism. It is still observed today by Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism.
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[edit] Principles
When a Jewish woman gives birth by natural means, ie vaginally (and not by Caesarean section) to her firstborn son,[1] then the father [2] of the child must "redeem" the child from a known Kohen[3] representing the original Jewish Temple priesthood, for the sum of five silver Shekels[4], or five silver pieces of the country's currency, such as silver dollars in the U.S. The procedure does not normally apply when the father is a Kohen or Levi, or when the mother is the daughter of one.[5]
This "redemption" ceremony is performed on the 31st day after the birth of the child (the day of birth is considered the first day) and is accompanied by a customary festive meal known as a se'udath mitzvah ("meal of a mitzvah")[6]. It is performed on the 31st day because of a tradition that if a child survives a month, his chances for good health were assured. [7] If the 31st day after birth falls on Shabbat, a festival or a fast day, the redemption is not performed and must be performed immediately after the holiday ends. This is because handling money on Jewish holidays is forbidden. [8]
If a woman gives birth to a second son naturally when the first son was born by Caesarean section, that child is not redeemed either.[9] Additionally, a first-born male child does not require redemption if his birth was preceded by an earlier miscarriage by the mother that occurred after the third month of pregnancy. However, if the miscarriage occurred during the first 40 days of pregnancy, redemption is required. If the previous miscarriage occurred after forty days, but before the fetus developed distinguishing charactertistics, redemption of the first-born is still required, but the blessing said by the father is omitted.[10]
The restriction to initial vaginal birth stems from the Bibilical text regarding the redemption, which says a child that is "Peter Rechem Imo," or the "opening of his mother's womb", needs to be redeemed.
Levites, including Kohanim, do not normally redeem their children through the Pidyon HaBen ceremony. The reason is that the Levites, as substitutes for the first-born, are pledged to minister and assist the kohanim in Divine service, and cannot be redeemed from their service obligation. In Orthodox Judaism and to a lesser extent in Conservative Judaism, Levites remain irredeemably pledged to Divine service to this day, are expected to report for duty in a future rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and in the meanwhile have a limited number of special ritual duties and privileges.
According to some authorities, a child whose mother is a Bat Kohen (female Kohen) and whose father is a non-Jew requires a Pidyon HaBen ceremony. [11]
[edit] Women and Pidyon HaBen
Some Orthodox authorities, citing a passage in the Talmud (Kiddushin 8a) describing such an event, permit a male non-Kohen married to a Bat Kohen (daughter of a male Kohen) to accept Pidyon HaBen money on the Bat Kohen's behalf. [12]. The question of a Bat Kohen accepting Pidyon HaBen money on her own behalf is a matter of discussion in Modern Orthodox Judaism but is not currently done in practice. No branch of Judaism currently accepts a Pidyon HaBat (redemption of a first-born daughter) ceremony.
[edit] In Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism requires a Pidyon HaBen ceremony under the same circumstances as Orthodox Judaism. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) permits a Bat Kohen (daughter of a male Kohen) to perform the Pidyon Haben ceremony on her own behalf. [13] The CJLS, however, concluded that a Pidyon HaBat ceremony for a daughter was "prohibited by the Torah" and suggested, as an alternative, that parents recite the text "Rabbi Akiva interpreted: By virtue of the reward due the righteous women of the generation of the Exodus were our forefathers redeemed from Egypt" for a first-born daughter, as part of the regular Simchat Bat ceremony. [14]
[edit] In Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism
Consistent with their views that Temple- and priesthood-related rituals and statuses are archaic and inconsistent with modern egalitarian values, Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism generally do not perform the Pidyon HaBen ceremony.
[edit] Biblical references to ceremony
The laws concerning redemption of the first-born of man are referred to in Exodus 13:12-15; 22:29; 34:20; Numbers 3:45; 8:17; 18:16; Leviticus 12:2,4.
[edit] Traditional Jewish interpretation
In the early part of the Bible, as recorded in the Book of Genesis, the duties of a priest fell upon the eldest son of each family. The first-born was to be dedicated to God in order to perform this task.
Following the Israelite Exodus from Egypt, an extensive plan of formal sacrificial worship was instituted. The priesthood was taken away from the first-borns, and given to the tribe of Levites, specifically to the Kohenim, Levites who has descended from High Priest Aaron, after the nation had sinned with the Golden Calf. At the same time it was instituted that the first born of each family should be redeemed; i.e. they would be 'bought back' from the dedication to God that would previously have been required of them. Levites were substituted for the first-born and wholly given to Divine service:
- And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him from the children of Israel.
- And I behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine. For all the first-born are Mine: on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast, Mine they shall be: I am the LORD.' (Numbers 3:9, 12-13)
The first-born male of every clean animal was to be given up to the priest for sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:6; Exodus 13:12, 34:20; Numbers 18:15-17). The first-born of unclean animals, however, was either to be redeemed or sold and the price given to the priest (Leviticus 27:11-13, 27). The first-born of an ass, if not redeemed, was to be put to death (Exodus 13:13; 34:20).
[edit] Biblical Criticism Perspectives
Scholars of Biblical criticism regard the passages in the Hebrew Bible referring to the redemption of the firstborn as reflecting traditions that already existed, rather than being the origin of them[15]. According to passages in the text which textual criticism scholars attribute to the priestly source, the firstborn of anything legally belonged to Yahweh, while according to passages attributed to the Jahwist and the Elohist, it was only firstborn males[16][17]. The passages attributed to the deuteronomist argue that unblemished firstborn animals should become slaughter offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem, but those attributed to the priestly source argue instead that unclean animals and firstborn humans had to be redeemed by handing over an appropriate amount of money, and that it was only the clean animals that should become sacrifices, with the meat from such sacrifices only being permitted to be consumed by the priests[18][19]. According to the text, if a firstborn ass was not redeemed, it had to be killed.
Only the Jahwist and Priestly Source provide a background explanation for these regulations, and both state that the regulations arose as a result of the death of the (non-Israelite) firstborn in Egypt[20]; the Jahwist's text argues that the male firstborn were to be sacrificed in memorial of the event, and thus firstborn human males had to be redeemed from this fate[21]; the priestly source instead argues that as a result of the event the Israelite firstborn were consecrated to the service of Yahweh, but that subsequently the Levites took over this role, and so the firstborn had to be redeemed[22]. As a result of the priestly source's argument, a rabbinical tradition arose that the firstborn males from all tribes had originally performed the function of priest, prior to the Tabernacle being constructed[23]; this argument is also why children of Levites are seen as not themselves requiring redemption[24].
However, biblical criticism scholars believe that the requirements to give the firstborn to the priesthood, or to redeem them (as appropriate to the species), predate the timeframe of the events which the Torah describe as happening in Egypt[25][26]. A number of scholars have proposed that in the original form of the custom, human first born males were sacrificed along with the first born animal males[27][28]; the Book of Micah, Book of Ezekiel, and Books of Kings, for example, attest the sacrifice of children, and indicate that the sacrifice of first born males was preferred[29]. Although such suggestions concerning the origin of Pidyon HaBen were dismissed in the late 19th century, as evidence for them had not been found in any historic semitic culture[30], they have more recently gained much credence, due to the discovery of the bodies of children in the foundations of many Canaanite buildings[31]. The reason for the preference of firstborn, whether animals or people, is not, however, known[32].
[edit] See also
- Brit milah (circumcision)
- Fast of the firstborn
[edit] Reference
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:1
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:2
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:3
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:1
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:18
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:11
- ^ Kolatch, Alfred (1981). The Jewish Book of Why. Jonathan David Publishers, 20. ISBN 0824602560.
- ^ Kolatch, Alfred (1981). The Jewish Book of Why. Jonathan David Publishers, 21. ISBN 0-8246-0256-0.
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 305:24
- ^ Donin, Hayim Halevy (1972). To Be a Jew. Basic Books, 277. ISBN 0-465-08624-1.
- ^ Orthodox Union, NCSY Newsletter Torah Tidbits, Parshat Chukat 5762
- ^ Midreshet Lindenbaum, Bnot Kohanim: Our Holy Daughters
- ^ Joel Roth, The Status of Daughters of Kohanim and Leviim for Aliyot
- ^ Gerald Skolnik, Should there be a special ceremony in recognition of a first-born female child, Rabbinical Assembly, 1993
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Primogeniture
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Primogeniture
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ ibid
- ^ ibid
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ ibid
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Primogeniture
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Primogeniture
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Primogeniture
- ^ ibid
- ^ Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ ibid
- This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
[edit] External link
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