The pidyon haben (Hebrew: פדיון הבן), or redemption of the first-born son, is a mitzvah in Judaism whereby a Jewish firstborn son is "redeemed" with money. "Redemption" is achieved by paying five silver coins to a Kohen, a descendant of the priestly family of Aaron, on behalf of the firstborn son. Alternatively, an object of equal value can be used. Pidyon haben is a relatively uncommon ceremony. Families do not perform it if the firstborn is a girl, born by caesarian section, preceded by a miscarriage (though some early miscarriages are not considered miscarriages), or if either grandfather is a Kohen or a Levite.
Origin
In the Hebrew Bible the laws (see mitzvah) concerning the redemption of the first-born male are referred to in Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus:
You shall set apart for יהוה every first issue of the womb: every male firstling that your cattle drop shall be יהוה’s. But every firstling ass you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children. And when, in time to come, a child of yours asks you, saying, "What does this mean?" you shall reply, "It was with a mighty hand that יהוה brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, יהוה slew every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of both human and beast. Therefore I sacrifice to יהוה every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every male first-born among my children."
The redemption price for firstborn non-Levites was set at 5 shekels:
The first [male] issue of the womb of every being, human or beast, that is offered to יהוה, shall be yours; but you shall have the male first-born of human beings redeemed, and you shall also have the firstling of impure animals redeemed. Take as their redemption price, from the age of one month up, the money equivalent of five shekels by the sanctuary weight, which is twenty gerahs. The arakhin laws set the redemption price of different classes of people whose "value" was consecrated; the price for a male child under five years is similarly five shekels. The Torah describes the tribe of Levi (to which the priests belong) as having inherited the role of divine service which previously belonged to the firstborns:
I hereby take the Levites from among the Israelites in place of all the male first-born, the first issue of the womb among the Israelites: the Levites shall be Mine. For every male first-born is Mine: at the time that I smote every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every male first-born in Israel, human and beast, to Myself, to be Mine, יהוה’s. According to the traditional rabbinic interpretation, even before the Exodus the priestly duties were reserved for the oldest son in each family. The priesthood was given specifically to the kohanim (Aaron and his descendants), and at the same time, it was instituted that the firstborn should be redeemed. The replacement of firstborns with Levites occurred following the golden calf episode; during that episode the Levites remained loyal to God.
Laws The Shulchan Aruch states that when a Jewish woman gives birth to a firstborn male by natural means (i.e. a boy born vaginally and not by Caesarean section) then the child must be "redeemed". The father of the child must "redeem" the child from a known kohen representing the original Temple priesthood, for the sum of five silver shekels, or equivalent in another nation's currency (if it has silver currency of the correct weight). This redemption ceremony is performed when at least thirty days have passed since the child's birth. If the 31st day falls on Shabbat or a festival, the redemption is delayed, because any sort of business transaction is not allowed on those days. The elapsed days are counted from sunset to sunset, and the day of birth counts as the first day. While the redemption could be performed immediately after dark on the 31st night, it is usually done the next day; but if the 31st day is a fast day, it is done the previous night, so that it can be accompanied by a festive meal. It is also possible to hold the ceremony on the 30th day itself, if it will be impossible to perform it the next day, so long as at least one synodic month has passed since the moment of birth. If a first-born son reaches bar mitzvah age without having been redeemed, he is responsible for arranging the mitzvah himself as soon as possible.
Exemptions Redemption is required for "the first to exit the womb" (Exodus 13:2) so it is not performed if a daughter is born first. If a woman gives birth to a second son vaginally when the first son was born by caesarean section, that child is not redeemed either. Also, a first-born male 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 characteristics, redemption of the first-born is still required, but the blessing said by the father is omitted. The procedure does not apply when the father is a kohen or Levite, and does not normally apply when the mother is the daughter of one. 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 this service obligation. The first-born son from a Levite's daughter is not redeemed (whether or not the father is Jewish). Similarly, the first-born son of a kohen's daughter, as long as the father is Jewish.
Bat Kohen Some sources state that a bat kohen (daughter of a priest) may accept pidyon haben money, just as a priest may, but this option is not accepted in practice.
Ceremony
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