ב"ה

Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)

Day 142: Positive Commandment 80, 81

Show content in:

Positive Commandment 80 (Digest)
Redeeming Firstborn Sons

"Give to Me the firstborn of your sons"Exodus 22:28.

We are commanded to "redeem" male firstborn and to give the redemption money – five sela'im – to the priest.

The obligation to redeem the firstborn son lies with the boy's father; the mother is not obligated in this mitzvah.

Positive Commandment 81 (Digest)
Redeeming Firstborn Donkeys

"The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb"Exodus 34:20.

We are commanded to redeem a firstborn male donkey with a lamb—which is given to the priest. (Unless the owner wishes to give the priest the monetary value of the donkey.)

Levites are exempt from this mitzvah.

From Sefer Hamitzvot, published and copyright by Sichos in English. To purchase the Sefer Hamitzvot two-volume set, please click here.
The text on this page contains sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
Daily Quote
Do you hear what they say in the heavenly academy? That to love your fellow Jew means to love the completely wicked just as you love the completely righteous.
  –Chassidic master Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezeritch
This page in other languages