Breaking The Jewish Code Perry Stone

which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. There are rabbinical explanations given as to why five shekels were selected. First, Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn son, was sold by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver, the equivalent of five shekels. Therefore, five shekels are given to the priest to redeem the son back. The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is hei and was the letter God inserted into Abram’s name when He changed it to Abraham. In Christian theology, five is a number alluding to the grace of God. The Jewish custom begins when the infant is at least thirty one days old. God wanted all men in Israel to be a nation of priests. After Israel sinned with the golden calf, God selected Levi as the single priestly tribe. By providing the five shekels to the priest, the father redeemed the son from entering the priesthood. It also reminds the Jews of God preserving the firstborn sons of the Hebrews on the night the destroying angel entered Egypt (Exod. 12). The silver tray, jewelry, and coins Normally, ten men are present for the ceremony. The priest asks the father if he would prefer the child or the five shekels he must pay. The father chooses the child, recites a blessing,