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Concept
Pidyon haben
Summary
The pidyon haben (פדיון הבן) or redemption of the first-born son is a mitzvah in Judaism whereby a Jewish firstborn son is "redeemed" by use of silver coins. Interpretations differ in what the firstborn son is to be redeemed from, ranging from being redeemed from their firstborn status, which was stigmatized after the Ten Plagues, or their obligation to serve as a priest.
The redemption is attained by paying five silver coins to a kohen (a patrilineal descendant of the priestly family of Aaron), on behalf of one's firstborn son.
Pidyon haben is a relatively rare ceremony. A family does not perform the ceremony if its firstborn is either a girl, or born by caesarian section, or preceded by a miscarriage, or if either grandfather is a kohen or a Levite.
In the Hebrew Bible the laws (see mitzvah) concerning the redemption of the first-born male are referred to in Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus:
that thou shalt set apart unto the all that openeth the womb; every firstling that is a male, which thou hast coming of a beast, shall be the 's. And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck; and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.
And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: What is this? that thou shalt say unto him: By strength of hand the brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.
The redemption price for firstborn non-Levites was set at 5 shekels:
Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the , both of man and beast, shall be thine; howbeit the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
Official source
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