Redemption of the Firstborn

REDEMPTION OF THE FIRSTBORN A firstborn male child, must be redeemed on the 31st day of his birth — unless the father is a Kohen or Levi, or the mother is a daughter of a Kohen or a Levi. If the 31st day falls on Shabbat or Yom Tov, the ceremony is postponed to the following weekday. The father, presenting his child to the Kohen, declares: mM This is my firstborn son, the first issue of his mother’s womb. The Holy One, blessed be He, has commanded us to redeem him, as is said, “Those who are to be redeemed, you must redeem from Num. 18 the age of one month, at the fixed price of five shekels of silver by the sacred standard, which is twenty gerahs to the shekel.” And it is also stated, “Consecrate to Me every firstborn; the first of every womb Ex. 13 among the people of Israel, whether of man or beast, belongs to Me.’ The Kohen checks with the mother that this is her firstborn, and then asks if she has miscarried before this child. If her answer is no, he asks the father: %x12 Which do you prefer: to give me your firstborn son, the first birth of his mother, or to redeem him for five selas as you are bound to do according to the Torah? prescribes a ceremony of redemption, in which the father of the child makes a monetary offering to a Kohen, symbolically exchanging it for his son. The substance of the ceremony has not changed since biblical times, though its wording is first mentioned in the Talmud. *90 MYA KI Which do you prefer: A notional question. In fact, the father has no choice but to redeem the child. The question is asked to ensure that the father understands the nature of the ceremony. The present text is in Aramaic, but it can be said in any language.