How much would you pay to get your firstborn son back from the Kohen?
On January 1, 2025, it would cost you $105 USD Today it would cost you $260 USD. Yep, the mitzvah is that if a Jewish mother has a firstborn, (born naturally), the son needs to be ‘redeemed’ at thirty days old in a ceremony called Pidyon Haben. The Kohen receives 5 shekels of silver, or the value of those shekels. Silver prices have risen so much that now the price of the mitzvah has risen dramatically. The price of silver does not just impact newly formed families. This week’s Parsha tells about the obligation for every Jewish male over the age of twenty to give a half shekel – which contains 9.6 grams of silver – to the collection for the Bet Hamkidash Temple building. Once the Tabernacle (traveling temple) was built, there was an annual half shekel collection that everyone was obligated to contribute to. This was for the purchase of the communal sacrifice. As a remembrance to this collection that took place during the Hebrew month of Adar we reenact the giving of the half shekel. We incorporate it as part of the Purim custom. We each give a half shekel to tzedakah just before Purim starts. This practice reflects the above idea that the shekels of the Jewish people counteracted the shekels that Haman gave to have them annihilated. Click here for more. While it is not necessary to give the true value of half shekel, as it’s only as a remembrance to the ‘machatzit hashekel’ during temple times, there are many who do choose to give true value that a half shekel of silver (9.6 gram) would cost. Last year on Purim that was $10.43. This year it is $26.29 USD. While it’s startling to see the galloping-runaway price of silver, even at this higher price of silver, it is not a huge amount of money. Granted, it is not a trivial amount, but I sincerely hope that for most people reading this article, this amount of money is not prohibitive. I asked Google what $26 USD would buy in an average Western country. Here is the response: Casual Dining: One main course at a mid-range restaurant, likely without alcoholic beverages or appetizers. Small Basket: A few days’ worth of essentials: 1 litre of milk, 1kg of sugar/rice, a loaf of bread, eggs, and a small amount of fruit/vegetables. Personal Care: A basic haircut at a budget salon or a few toiletry items (toothpaste, shampoo, soap). The amount required is not meant to be out of reach of the lower income people. It is not about amassing large amounts of money. In this collection there needed to be equality. The rich could not give more. The poor could not give less. This created the ‘communal-ness’ of the offerings. By each one paying in equally, it meant that all members of the Jewish community were equal partners and owners in the daily communal offerings. For this purpose, there needed to be a unison amount that everyone contributed without distinction. It wasn’t a huge amount. Quite the contrary, it was a modest donation that we are talking about. Yet the Torah describes it as being impactful in a major way. ‘It atones for your souls’. Moshe was astonished, how could such a meager donation bring such a major achievement of forgiveness and atonement? Indeed, our Sages relate that Moshe found it difficult to understand the concept of the half shekel and Hashem showed him a half shekel coin of fire. One of the explanations is that Moshe had this very question. How can such a modest coin engender such a powerful result. To which Hashem showed him a fiery coin. It is not the amount. It is the fire, passion, excitement and devotion with which this coin was given that generated this powerful result. Click here for a longer essay based on teachings from the Rebbe about this. Our connection to G-d is not about quantity. It’s about Kavana, intention and devotion. Warmth and passion. Joy and enthusiasm. That makes all the difference in the world. Take a moment to ask yourself. How do you show up with your gift for G-d? When you see an appeal from someone needing help. Do you show your displeasure and annoyance at being ‘solicited’ for yet another cause? Or are you thankful to the Almighty for having created a way to connect devotedly to him by something so material and base as money. Do you see giving tzedakah as a way of elevating the mundane to become a holy part of G-d’s plan for the world? Sure, large amounts can do big things. Yet it is the - small in quantity but large in intention - monies given with a true and genuine feeling of warmth and fire that become worthy of being a offering to G-d. G-d wants our passion and our heart. My friends, the threshold for being a part of G-d’s holy work here on earth is not a quantitative one. It is a question of spirit and commitment. One becomes an active partner with G-d, by contributing resources, time, money and attention to building G-d’s abode here on earth. At the very basic level, the smallish amount of half shekel is all that is required. In addition to the communal collection of half shekel there were and still are other collections where everyone is called upon to do what is in THEIR ability. This can be quite extreme. For example, if someone can afford two million dollars and only gives one million, they have not lived up to their capacity and their charitableness is not up to G-d’s expectations of them. Whereas if someone could afford to give ten dollars and forgoes a few things to push themselves and give eighteen dollars, they have given tzedakah in a laudatory way. None of us are exempt from giving. Each of us ought to look at their own situation and give at least a bit more than they are comfortable with. And remember, this refers to time and attentiveness to others, as well as resources. In the merit of Tzedaka the Redemption will come. And boy oh boy are we praying right now. For the victory of our forces immediately. For peace with enduring security. And even more so for the overall and comprehensive solution that we await for so long. For Mashiach to come right now. Mashiach’s coming will usher in an eternal peace that will obviate the need to fight even righteous and moral wars. For the sake of our brothers and sisters, grandchildren and grandparents, who are running in and out of shelters in Israel, for the sake of the multitudes of people whose plans have been thrown into chaos all over the world, and for the sake of humanity at large, may we merit the coming of Mashiach so that the entire creation will serve Him – Almighty G-d - with dedication and devotion. AMEN. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Yosef Kantor
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