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Meaning in Mitzvot -
Lesson 75

Pidyon Ha-Ben and the commandment of "Chinukh"

21.09.2014
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The Torah commands us to redeem the firstborn son in each family, by giving five shekels (coins of particular mass) of silver to the Kohen (priest) when the child is a month old (Bamidbar 18:15-16.) This is in commemoration of the plague of the firstborn, when God redeemed the Jewish first born sons as He smote the Egyptians (Shemot 13:13-15.)  Children of male and female Kohanim and Levi'im (Levites) are exempt from this mitzva.

 

This mitzva is the subject of a scintillating Chassidic exposition in the teachings of Rav Nachman of Breslav.  Rav Nachman's approach uncovers a hidden meaning in the momentous events of the Exodus, and gives us a new insight into the role of the Jewish people.

 

Chassidic thought discerns an ACTIVE aspect in creation, associated with the transmission of a seed - or potential for growth and development, and a PASSIVE aspect which enables the realization of this potential by accepting and nurturing it.  God's presence is manifest in the world when these two capacities are properly matched and lead to the propagation - that is the conception, birth and development - of holiness in the world.  But without God's active influence, there is no growth - isolated from God, the material world is sterile.

 

The firstborn, who is the INITIATION of this process of propagation, symbolizes the ESSENCE of the process. 

 

But the sad truth is that the creation does not always acknowledge its sacred Progenitor.  The sterile material world, which owes all its growth and development to the spiritual influx from God, sometimes declares independence and arrogantly claims mastery over creation.  This is the essence of idolatry, to declare that the material world has importance and spirituality independent of Divine providence.

 

This power of denial specifically targets the firstborn, who as we wrote symbolizes the power of propagation that worshipers of this world claim is of the material and not Divine.

 

One audacious example of this denial was the sale of Yosef, who was the firstborn of Rachel, Ya'akov's primary wife.  Yosef was also a tzaddik (saint, righteous individual), one who staunchly maintains his connection with the higher world of holiness.  His dreams indicated the proper order of creation, where all creatures would bow down and acknowledge the supremacy of righteousness (Bereishit 37:7, 37:9.)

 

Yosef was sold into slavery in Egypt for twenty silver pieces (Bereishit 37:28), the ancient world's outstanding example of subjection to the flesh, where he faced the most strenuous temptations which sought to sever his connection to holiness and modesty.  If Egypt had conquered the righteousness of Yosef, the firstborn, this would have symbolized the conquest of the materialistic and hedonistic ideology of Egypt over the commitment to God that is the essence of the Jewish people.

 

However, Yosef succeeded in overcoming temptation.  Now the symbolism is turned upside down: since Yosef was the firstborn, the spiritual triumph of the individual now symbolizes the spiritual triumph of the entire nation of Israel and its banner held high over the degraded idolatry of Egypt.

 

In the end, our Jewish commitment to righteousness and chastity prevailed completely.  Egypt did not overcome Israel, who are God's firstborn (Shemot 4:22); rather, Egypt's firstborn were wiped out.  And rather than falling into the hands of the wealth of Egypt, the wealth of Egypt fell into our hands! (Shemot 12:36.)

 

We emptied Egypt of its riches - symbolizing our ability to subordinate our material desires and exploit the treasures of this world in the service of holiness.  We then took the physical remains of Yosef with us, symbolizing the utter failure of the carnality of Egypt to ensnare us to even the slightest degree (Shemot 13:19.)

 

However, the Exodus was only a battle in our continuing and unrelenting war against subordination to material desires, a war that will only end in the time of the final redemption.  We have to constantly demonstrate that our "firstborn," our power of growth and renewal, comes solely from God.  The redemption from the Kohen suggests that the firstborn in effect "belongs" to the Kohen, who represents devotion to God's service.  [It seems that this is particularly important since the sin of the golden calf, where some of the firstborn showed that they were still liable to succumb to the rule of gold, of riches.  But the tribe of Levi completely resisted this temptation.]

 

We redeem our firstborn from the Kohen for five shekalim each of which are equal to twenty geirah, (a measure of mass), recalling the twenty silver pieces for which Yosef was sold  (Bamidbar 18:16.)  The money which we received from the merchants, who epitomize subordination to earthly concerns, is now given to the Kohen, who epitomizes the subordination of earthly concerns to holiness.

 

We can discern a similar message in the mitzvot pertaining to the firstborn of the "chamor" (donkey), which represents "chomer" - materiality.  We have the ability to redeem the material world (the donkey) by giving its exchange to the Kohen, symbolizing its subordination to holiness; if we are unable to redeem it in this way, then we have no choice but to destroy it (Shemot 13:13.)

 

(Based on Likutei Halakhot on pidyon bekhor and pidyon peter chamor; see also Igrot Raya 555.)

 

 

CHAPTER 165 – EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

 

A Jewish boy becomes obligated in mitzvot when he reaches the age of 13, and a Jewish girl at the age of 12.  This is the age when a person attains "da'at" - "understanding" and responsibility for actions.  (Sometimes signs of physical maturity are also required – see OC 199:10.)  This is also the age of legal majority, when a youth is no longer subject to his or her parents and is legally entitled to live independently.

 

However, younger children are also expected to fulfill the commandments according to their intellectual capabilities and levels of understanding, and their parents are obligated to raise them in the ways of the Torah, so that when they become independent they will be fully capable of carrying out the Law.

 

This obligation is known as the commandment of "chinukh."  Today we usually translate this word as education or instruction, and this seems to be one meaning it has in Scripture.  When Avram had to save Lot from his captors he sent out his "chanikhav" - his "disciples" (Bereishit 14:14.)

 

In other places in the Torah the word would be better translated as "inauguration" or "dedication."  For instance, the Torah mentions the chanukka of the altar (Bamidbar 7:10), and this is the source of the name of the Chanukka holiday.  Also mentioned is the chanukka of a new house (Devarim 20:5.)

 

Both senses of this word find expression in the rules of chinukh.  Parents need both to teach the child how to perform the mitzvot, and also accustom the youngster to actually carry them out.

 

On the education side, parents are called on to say grace after meals for their children, in order to teach them how.  This doesn't accustom the child to the mitzva, because the child is not himself saying the blessing; and an adult can't fulfill his obligation to say grace by having someone else say it for him, unless that other adult also ate (Mishna Berura 167:93, see Rosh HaShana 29b.)

 

Another example is fasting on Yom Kippur.  Young children are educated to fast a little bit, for a period of time that makes them conscious of the fast but is not oppressive.  This teaches them, but doesn't "inaugurate" them in the mitzva, which is only fulfilled if no food is eaten from sunset to the following nightfall (Yoma 82a, SA OC 616:2.)

 

Yet in other places we find that children must fulfill mitzvot exactly as adults do.  For example, our Sages learned some of the rules of sukka from the sukka that Queen Heleni built to accustom her sons to this mitzva (Sukka 2b and Ritva.)  And the Mishna Berura rules that the four species given to a child should be completely kosher – although the child can learn how to hold and wave them even if there is a slight defect (Be'ur Halakha 657.)

 

Another example: The Talmud relates that Shamai made a sukka for his infant son (Sukka 28b.)  This initiates the child into the performance of the mitzva, but doesn't teach him anything.

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHILDREN AND ADULTS

 

Which of these two aspects, education and inauguration, is more important? It seems that there is a difference between children and adults.  Regarding children, education is the most important thing.  We see this from the case where there is a conflict between the two aspects.  Saying a blessing for a child is effective in education but actually contradicts the idea of "inauguration" since the mitzva is not actually fulfilled this way.  In time however, the child will learn to apply his learning in to practice.

 

But for adults the most important thing is the actual performance of the mitzva.  So while it is important to educate adults, this can not generally supercede their actual obligation.  Indeed, for an adult allowing "teaching" to supercede "doing" can have a negative educational message, because it may seem to diminish the importance of the actual performance of the commandments.

 

"EDUCATE THE CHILD ACCORDING TO HIS WAY"

 

One salient feature of the obligation to educate children in mitzva performance is that the obligation is tailored to the abilities of the child.  "When a child knows how to wave a lulav, he is obligated to take a lulav; to wrap himself, he is obligated in tzitzit; to observe tefillin, his father obtains tefillin for him; when he knows how to talk, his father teaches him Torah and Shema" (Sukka 42b.)

 

The book of Mishlei tells us that we must educate a child in the way of the Torah so that he will fulfill it as an adult.  The verse in Mishlei contains an important qualifier: "Educate the child ACCORDING TO HIS WAY, then when he ages he will not turn from it" (Mishlei 22:6.)  This verse teaches us about both the means and the ends of education.  We EDUCATE the child in his way, in a way which suits his abilities and inclinations; and even the objective is that he should not turn "from it" – from his own way.  Even as an adult, every individual has his or her own way in carrying out the Torah, and one person's approach will not necessarily suit someone else.

 

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE EDUCATION

 

According to many authorities, the principal responsibility for educating the children is incumbent upon the father; the mother's obligation is of a lesser degree.  (See Magen Avraham and Machatzit Ha-Shekel, Orakh Chaim 353:1.)  We can understand this distinction slightly differently: the types of responsibility of the two parents represent the two sides of education: the active and the passive.

 

While the education of children is a paramount value, ultimately the child must teach himself.  An essential part of any educational process is to allow the person to internalize what he or she is being taught, to try it out, and to see how it fits the individual personality.  This aspect is compromised when the educator is constantly looking over the shoulder of the student and checking his or her behavior.  We could say that while the father is charged with the active education of the child, the transmission of specific knowledge and values; the mother is charged with the passive aspect, supervising the child as he or she experiments with learning and internalizes it in a personal and relevant way.

 

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