Thirty days after a Jewish couple welcomes their firstborn son, a special ceremony called pidyon haben takes place. In this ritual, the father “redeems” the baby from a Kohen, a member of the priestly clan, by giving him five silver coins. During the ceremony, the baby is laid on a silver tray and draped in jewelry, which serves to beautify the mitzvah.
In addition, many have the custom of adorning the tray with sugar cubes and cloves of garlic. While the origins of this custom aren’t entirely clear and seem to be relatively new, here are some explanations of why it is done.
Equivalent to 84 Fasts
Like many other mitzvahs, the pidyon haben is celebrated with a festive meal. According to the sages, partaking in this feast is spiritually powerful, equivalent to 84 fasts as a form of penance.1
Why 84? Some point out that the Torah’s term for “their redemption,” פדיום,2 can be broken into פ”ד יום, which means “84 days.”3
Given the importance of this meal, it makes sense to use sugar and garlic, which are both inexpensive, long-lasting, and can flavor large quantities of food. This ensures that everyone can partake in the meal without putting a heavy financial burden on the host,4 allowing the spiritual bounty to be shared by many.5
While this is the most commonly cited reason, there are several other explanations as well. Some of the following explanations only pertain to garlic, which may have been the original custom.6
The Fertility Food
The Talmud tells us that Ezra the Scribe instituted the custom for married couples to eat garlic on Friday night to promote fertility.7 The garlic at the celebration of a firstborn son symbolizes the hope for many more children in the future.8
Prayers for a Scholar and Leader
The Hebrew word for garlic is shum, שום, which can be rearranged into an acronym for והייתה שלימה מיטתי, “and my bed shall be complete,” a poetic prayer that our children (conceived in the marital bed) grow up to in fine ways. The hope is that this firstborn blazes a path of Torah and good deeds, which his siblings will one day follow.9
Another interpretation suggests that if you take the first letters of the Hebrew words for garlic (שום) and sugar (סוכר), you get ש”ס, “the entire Talmud,” which we pray the boy will one day grow up to master.10
Warding off the Evil Eye
A pidyon haben is a relatively rare occurrence that most families never have the opportunity to celebrate. This is because it is only celebrated if neither parent is a Kohen or Levite, the mother has not miscarried, the boy is the firstborn, and the birth is vaginal (not C-section). Only roughly 10% of couples celebrate a pidyon haben.
This can cause jealousy (the “evil eye”), so garlic, which is known to ward off negative energies,11 is served.12
Eating for the Sake of Heaven
After the celebration, there will likely be leftovers. When eating these leftovers, are we doing so merely out of hunger or desire, or are we eating “for the sake of heaven,” to fulfill a mitzvah?
By including simple, humble garlic among the leftovers, we symbolize that our enjoyment is for a higher purpose and not merely for our own pleasure. (Later, sugar was added to symbolize the sweetness of fulfilling a mitzvah.)13
Sweet and Spicy Life
Life has its ups and downs—times of sweetness like sugar and times of pungency like garlic. These foods express our wish that faith will “redeem” the young celebrant and all of us, guiding us through both the sweet and the challenging moments of life.14
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