Winter 2025

Mazel tov, you are the new parents of a baby boy! If the baby is the bechor of his mother – meaning that he is his mother’s first child – he will need to be redeemed by a kohen. The Torah tells us that Hashem slew every firstborn male in Mitzrayim, passing over the houses of the Bnei Yisrael. As a result, firstborn males acquired a measure of kedusha and must be redeemed by a kohen. The halachos of pidyon haben are somewhat complex and you may not have the time to familiarize yourself with them. Here, then, is a brief primer according to Ashkenazi custom.[1]

When Is a Pidyon Not Required?

• If the baby is not his mother’s first child, even if he is his father’s first child
• If the father is a kohen or levi, or if the mother is the daughter of a kohen or levi[2]
• If the baby was born through a cesarean delivery[3]
• If forceps were used in the delivery of the baby – a rav should be consulted
• If the mother had previously miscarried before the bechor was born – a pidyon may or may not be needed. It depends on how advanced the pregnancy was before the miscarriage. If the fetus was more than three months old, the subsequent baby does not need a pidyon. If the fetus was definitely less than forty days old, the subsequent baby does need a pidyon. If the fetus was between forty days and three months old, a rav should be consulted.
• If an aino Yehudi gives birth to a firstborn who subsequently converts, that ger does not need a pidyon

When Should the Pidyon Be Performed?

• The pidyon is performed on the thirty-first day after birth, with the day of birth being Day One of the count. Sefardim generally do the pidyon at night, whereas Ashkenazim wait till the following day.

Thus, if the baby is born on Sunday afternoon one hour before sunset, that Sunday is Day One. The following Sundays are Days Eight, Fifteen, Twenty-Two and Twenty-Nine. The Monday after that is Day Thirty. The pidyon will be performed on Tuesday during the daytime, generally in the afternoon.[4]

• If the baby is born during bein hashmashos, the following day will be Day One.
• The pidyon is not performed on Shabbos or Yom Tov. If the thirty-first day is Shabbos or Yom Tov, the pidyon should be performed on the first weekday that follows.
• If the pidyon occurs on a fast day, it is customary to perform the pidyon on that day and eat the seudah immediately after the fast.
• If a baby was born more than a month before the due date, a rav should be consulted as to when to perform the pidyon.
• If a father was not podeh his son, the son is obligated to be podeh himself after he becomes Bar Mitzvah and has simanim of an adult.

Paying the Kohen

For the pidyon, the father should give the kohen approximately one hundred grams (3.53 oz.) of silver. The American Silver Eagle coin contains one troy ounce of silver, which roughly equals 31 grams of silver. Four coins would be sufficient for pidyon, although five are often used.

The U.S. Mint has produced other Silver Dollar coin designs which are only 40% silver. If old coins or silver molds are used, it should be verified that they contain the required amount of silver.  

Qualifications of a Kohen

There are kohanim who have a family tree and can trace their kohen status back many generations. There is a benefit to using such a kohen for the pidyon, but it is not necessary. The kohen should ideally be G-d fearing and knowledgeable in Torah. The kohen may not be a cholol (the product of certain forbidden relationships). One may not use a kohen who publicly desecrates Shabbos or who does not keep the mitzvos unique to kohanim.[5]

The Pidyon Ceremony

It is customary to have a minyan of men present at the pidyon and to have a seudas mitzvah. Those present should first wash their hands and eat bread. The pidyon is then performed when the meal begins.

There is a widespread custom to place the baby on a silver tray. Women place jewelry on the tray around the baby, and the father carries the tray to the kohen. Customarily, the kohen sits and the father stands. The kohen should have a cup of wine in front of him, unless the pidyon occurs on a fast day.

The father and the kohen recite the text of the pidyon, which is printed in siddurim. The father should take care to finish saying the brachos before handing the money to the kohen. The kohen concludes the ceremony by making a bracha on the cup of wine.

It is customary to distribute garlic cloves and sugar cubes at a pidyon which the participants take home and use to season food for their family. Although the origin is unclear, it is said that eating from the seudah of a pidyon is equivalent to fasting eighty-four fasts.

More Questions…

What happens if the father is no longer alive? What if he is alive but absent? What if he is not Jewish? These and many more questions are beyond the scope of this brief article.[6]

When your baby grows up, may you have the zechus to learn these halachos in depth together with him b’chavrusah.

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[1] For a discussion of Sephardi customs, refer to Sefer Yalkut Yosef: Sovah Semachot, Vol. 2, by Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef (Jerusalem: Machon Chazon Ovadia, 2004).   

[2] If the father is a kohen or the mother is a bas kohen, and the baby is the product of a forbidden relationship, a rav should be consulted.

[3] The next boy born will not need a pidyon even if he had a natural birth.

[4] Regarding the earliest possible time for pidyon, see Teshuvos Kesav Sofer Y.D. 151 and Shaarei Zmanim siman 16.

[5] See “Maintaining Kedushas Kehuna on Land, Air and Sea” by this author for an overview of some of these mitzvos.

[6] For a comprehensive treatment of hilchos pidyon haben, see Pidyon Haben Kehilchoso, 8^th edition, by Rabbi Gedalia Oberlander (Monsey: Merkaz Halacha, 2018).