How much is five shekels in modern currency? And why does the firstborn child "cost" five silver shekels, why not ten or fifty?
Five ancient shekels amount to just about 100 grams of pure silver. While it is customary to use silver, any movable property worth that amount (as opposed to promissory notes, paper currency, and real estate) may be used. In the US, five real Silver Dollars (such as the 1878-1921 Morgan Dollar or the 1921-1935 Peace Dollars) are used.
Many kohanim (priests) have sets of five silver dollars which they sell to others to use. If not, a visit to a coin collector or pawn shop should do the trick.
Several explanations are given for the specific amount of five silver shekels used for the pidyon haben. The following are from the Talmud and Zohar, respectively:
- Yosef – Rochel's firstborn son – was sold by his brothers for twenty silver pieces, the equivalent of five shekels. This established that the standard "price" for a (firstborn) human is five shekels, which are given to the Kohein, G-d's representative, to redeem the child.
- The number five is symbolic of the Hebrew letter hei (which has the numerical value of five), which was added to Avrohom's name when the time came for him to father Isaac—and the Jewish nation (see Genesis 17:5). G-d's choice of the Jewish people as His nation, which resulted in the consecration of the firstborn and the subsequent mitzvah to redeem them, was in the merit of our forefather Avrohom. We, therefore, have an allusion to Avrohom at the pidyon haben.
- In the special section in Torah of Erekin (values) a young child is valued at 5 shekalim.
Bar Kochba silver shekel.
Obverse: the Jewish Temple facade with the rising star, surrounded by "Shimon". Reverse: A lulav, the text reads: "to the freedom of Jerusalem"
