Pidyon haben

High school (ages 12+)
Holidays & Celebrations

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pidyon-haben

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ritual designation?Pidyon haben (Redemption of the Firstborn Son)
2. What is the redemption amount?Five silver shekels (or equivalent value)
3. When does the ceremony happen?It is done on the 30th day after the baby boy is born, if the conditions are right.
4. Who can do the ceremony?The father must have a firstborn son and a priest (Kohen) must be present; the child must be a boy born naturally, not by C‑section, and no prior miscarriage.

Pidyon haben: A Jewish ritual performed on the 30th day after a firstborn son's birth to redeem him from a specific obligation.
Kohen: A male descendant of Aaron, traditionally holding a priestly role in Judaism, who receives the redemption gift.
Halakha: The collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the Written and Oral Torah.
Mitzvah: A commandment or good deed in Judaism, with Pidyon haben being one of the 613 mitzvot.