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Seculars interested in 'redemption' rituals
Jerusalem Post ^ | Jan. 7, 2007 | Sheley Paz

Posted on 01/07/2007 1:43:58 PM PST by Alouette

Secular Israelis are expressing increasing interest in the pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn son) religious ritual, according to Tzohar, an organization of Religious Zionist rabbis. The group, which is known among secular Israelis for its marriage ceremonies in which couples work with a rabbi to prepare a ceremony which is meaningful to them, is now working to respond to that interest.

The group held a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday in an attempt to provide people with the answers to crucial questions concerning the practice.

The ritual concerns the laws of redemption of an eldest son born by natural means, not by Caesarean section or following an abortion. During the ceremony, which is performed on the 31st day after the birth of the child and accompanied by a festive meal, the father redeems the child from a known kohen(member of the priestly class) who represents an original Temple priest.

The transaction is completed using the sum of five silver shekels or the equivalent in the country's currency. The silver shekels are bought nowadays from special stores who produce them for NIS 400-500. The procedure is not performed when the father is a kohen or Levite himself, or when the mother is the daughter of one.

The conference dealt with issues such as how to identify a firstborn according to halacha (Jewish law), who is a kohen or Levite nowadays, and how to perform the ceremony.

Hagai Gross, Tzohar's chief executive, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that during the last few years the group has performed more than 10,000 marriage ceremonies among secular Israeli couples. According to Gross, as these young families mature, Tzohar is a natural place to turn for questions of a religious nature.

"These couples are becoming a young community and they turn to us whenever they have questions concerning religion, customs and traditions. In the last two, three years there has been great interest in the pidyon haben ritual, which is interesting because this commandment is not very familiar to most people and many see it as folklore as opposed to, for example, the circumcision ritual," Gross said.


TOPICS: General Discusssion; Judaism; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: firstborn; pidyonhaben
My family are Cohanim, and my sons, particularly my son in Russia, has performed many Pidyon Haben ceremonies.
1 posted on 01/07/2007 1:43:59 PM PST by Alouette
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To: 1st-P-In-The-Pod; A_Conservative_in_Cambridge; af_vet_rr; agrace; albyjimc2; Alexander Rubin; ...
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

2 posted on 01/07/2007 1:44:29 PM PST by Alouette (Psalms of the Day: 83-87)
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To: Alouette

I'm unfamiliar with the term "secular Israeli." Is that something like a "Cafeteria Catholic"? :0)


3 posted on 01/07/2007 1:54:09 PM PST by COBOL2Java ("No stronger retrograde force exists in the world" - Winston Churchill on Islam)
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To: COBOL2Java
I'm unfamiliar with the term "secular Israeli."

That's like "Reform Jew," only not as religious.

4 posted on 01/07/2007 2:20:18 PM PST by Alouette (Psalms of the Day: 83-87)
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To: Alouette
That's like "Reform Jew," only not as religious.

Damn it, Alouette, why do this? I'm a proud Reform Jew, a convert, and proud supporter of Israel, but these slurs and slights against the Reform on the Jewish discussion threads are going to make me stop participating.

5 posted on 01/07/2007 2:34:26 PM PST by radiohead (They call me DOCTOR radiohead.)
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To: Alouette

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but these aren't legitimate marriages according to halacha or Israeli (secular) law are they? So I don't know why they'd care, but does Pidyon Haben reqire a legitimate marriage?


6 posted on 01/07/2007 2:43:32 PM PST by SJackson (A vote is like a rifle, its usefulness depends upon the character of the user, T. Roosevelt)
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To: radiohead
I'm a proud Reform Jew, a convert, and proud supporter of Israel, but these slurs and slights against the Reform on the Jewish discussion threads are going to make me stop participating.

It's the internet, you have to let some things go.

7 posted on 01/07/2007 2:44:17 PM PST by SJackson (A vote is like a rifle, its usefulness depends upon the character of the user, T. Roosevelt)
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To: radiohead

The slurs can hurt, but your faith should be strong enough to endure and help you redeem the good name of your faith. I'm of the Conservative denomination, so I endure similar barbs from both Orthodox and Reform camps.

Oh well. Better to light a single candle, than to curse the darkness.


8 posted on 01/07/2007 2:47:52 PM PST by Alexander Rubin (Octavius - You make my heart glad building thus, as if Rome is to be eternal.)
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To: Alouette

Put another way, as the fathers obligation, I wonder how this legitimately becomes an issue in a "secular" marriage, which clearly implies a non-Jewish mother. A non-Jewish father in a "secular" marriage wouldn't care.


9 posted on 01/07/2007 2:52:06 PM PST by SJackson (A vote is like a rifle, its usefulness depends upon the character of the user, T. Roosevelt)
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To: radiohead
Damn it, Alouette, why do this?

Because I can.

I was raised a Reform Jew, and I even used to be a "proud and observant" Reform Jew, many years ago. One reason I left was that very few other Temple members, in fact none my age, were either "proud" or "observant."

What really sent me running away screaming, I was active in the Soviet Jewry movement, and I tried to get the rabbi of our Temple to get the congregation involved. Do you know what this putz told me? He said, "Jews in the Soviet Union are HAPPY living under Communism and only a few malcontents want to leave."

Of course, several years later, they jumped on the bandwagon when it became, you know, a popular thing. But by then I was outta there.

10 posted on 01/07/2007 4:36:56 PM PST by Alouette (Psalms of the Day: 83-87)
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To: SJackson
does Pidyon Haben reqire a legitimate marriage?

That's a very good question. I don't know.

11 posted on 01/07/2007 4:38:39 PM PST by Alouette (Psalms of the Day: 83-87)
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To: radiohead; Alouette

I, too, used to be a Reform Jew, and I saw nothing particularly wrong with it. Since then, for a wide variety of reasons, I've become quite a bit more observant (though I've got a LONG way to go) and attend an Orthodox shul.

While Reform and Conservative Judaism are not for me (mainly because they are, IMHO, way-stations on the road to assimilation, and because they distort or ignore the Divine nature of the Revelation at Mt. Sinai), I am conscious of the fact that we are all Jews. I personally think that there are enough people in the world who have it in for us that we should stop the inter-denominational squabbling. Discussions or attempts at persuation I'm for, but nothing more than that.

Just my $0.02.


12 posted on 01/08/2007 12:11:17 AM PST by Ancesthntr
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To: Alouette
Hopefully this will be the first step many seculars take on the way back to Torah.

BTW, when I first saw the title I thought it referred to rituals performed by "secular rabbis" such as were "ordained" a short time ago!

13 posted on 01/08/2007 7:45:21 AM PST by Zionist Conspirator ( . . . vayar' vehinneh, haseneh bo`er ba'esh, vahaseneh 'eynennu 'ukkal.)
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To: Ancesthntr
there are enough people in the world who have it in for us that we should stop the inter-denominational squabbling.

Thanks. My feelings as well.

14 posted on 01/08/2007 10:58:48 AM PST by radiohead (They call me DOCTOR radiohead.)
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