Pidyon HaRashash Short FAQ

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Rabbi Zwecker רב צווקר‎

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May 29, 2024, 1:55:38 PMMay 29
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Pidyon HaRashash Short FAQ
A few people asked me about the Pidyon HaRashash here are a few answers to the questions:
  1. What is a pidyon? A pidyon is a ritual where the donation is given to grant merit to help effect a yeshua the person's mazal is changed for the better and exchanges his tzelem for a new one.
  2. What is it for? To help heal the sick, change mazal, hatlzacha for children, help for a zivug or Shidduch, help for parnassah and bring a yeshua or salvation to someone in need.
  3. How does it work?
    The procedure is that the pidyon is done as follows: The person who needs a yeshuah (or someone on his behalf) gives tzedaka (the common amount is $160 or more and this is given to support Torah scholars, I will see it gets to kollel yungeleit) this tzedaka is the pidyon that will imyh affect the yeshuah - the number 160 corresponds to the gematria tzelem and the one who performs the pidyon will have in mind the kavanos the 5 Divine Names and daven that the pidyon grant a new "tzelem" Elokim and affect the yeshua to the person who needs it. Then the 160 silver coins are "exchanged" for the tzedaka so he can perform the ritual of the pidyon and counts and arranges the coins in the form of these 5 Divine Names and recombines them to cancel the dinim and sweeten the harsh decrees. After the pidyon we say a tefillah using Hebrew Name and Mother's Hebrew Name and recite 3 chapters of Tehillim it is beneficial but not necessary that the person who has the pidyon and anyone else who is related and wishes to, to also recite these 3 chapters every day for that week, any other questions?
  4. Why does it work? The Arizal taught Rav Chaim Vital that a sick person's Tzelem has been spiritually blemished and requires a tikkun, the pidyon helps by drawing down a new Tzelem of Mochin deGadlus - according to Kabbalah this help heal the person and change his mazal.
  5. Why does it cost money? Why isn't it free? First of all it does not cost money, the pidyon is an exchange for the 160 coins required to effect the ritual that draws down Mochin in a new Tzelem and heals and helps a yeshua for the person. Giving tzedaka is a well known practice to help a yeshua and here the tzedaka is given as a merit for the person who needs the healing or the help. Besides this many mitzvos in Yiddishkeit cost money and are not free, that is how Hashem set up the self-sacrifice from us to benefit from His Divine rewards for example besides tzedaka and maaser - korbanos were not free, the offerings cost money, yet they were required for atonement, tzitzis, tefillin, kosher food, etc. none of these things are free. While obviously we can always daven and say Tehillim for free the power of the pidyon requires an additional donation to tzedaka, that is how the Arizal taught it to Rav Chaim Vital. Besides the pidyon requires time and effort as well to do, just as doctors and nurses don't just work for free - the donation goes to avrechim who learn, study and perform the pidyon, they have families to support and expenses to pay just as well all do.
  6. Are there any "sources" for this? What are they? Yes in Shaar HaKavanos Rav Chaim Vital explains that he performed this pidyon annually on Erev Rosh HaShannah for a good new year and gave the tzedaka money distributing it by Sukkos. The form of the pidyon is found in the Kuntres Sefas Emes of Rav Y-aakov Ninyo, as well as the Yareh (Rav Raphael Yechiel Abulafia's) manuscript and other handwritten editions of the Siddur haRashash as well as the modern printed seforim such as Rechovos HaNahar and Nekudos HaKessef.
  7. Who was the Rashash? Why is the Pidyon named for him if it comes from the Arizal? The Rashash is an acronym for Rav Shalom Sharabi from Yemen who came to Jerusalem and became the Rosh Yeshiva of Beis E"l he was a great Kabbalist and talmid chochom best known for his famed Siddur full of Divine Names and Meditations that take the Arizal's teachings to a whole new practical level, since his Siddur contains the tradition for how to perform the pidyon itself it is named after him by most people who refer to it. To distinguish it from other well-known pidyon ritual's taught and recorded attributed to Eliyahu HaNavi, the Ramban and others.
  8. Can you use any amount donation? The custom is to give at least 160 in the denomination of that country, usually nowadays its $160, some people like to give more, others cannot afford it and give less. I once participated in a pidyon together with a minyan of ten kabbalists and talmidei chachamim and we did the pidyon for someone and the organizer who gathered us together told us that Rav Yaakov Meir Shechter told the donor for this pidyon that he must pay each of us $1800 and he did. That said the original 160 silver perutos that Rav Chaim Vital used are probably worth something like $20 today, but he distributed those 160 coins to tzedaka and $20 would not go a very long way today. The goal of the donation is to gain merit. Tzedaka has a value no matter how much you give and it varies and depends on the self sacrifice of the donor and his means.
  9. Where do you get 160 silver coins from? Good question - BH we had a few generous sponsors and donors who covered the costs to purchase silver coins from bullion sellers - we are using silver dimes that went out of circulation in the 1960s.
  10. Are there other pidyons? Yes there is a pidyon for 232 coins for the 4 Divine Names A"b Sa"g Ma"h Be"n and also there are a pidyon from Ramban and from Eliyahu HaNavi please contact me for more information on these if needed. The most common performed is the Rashash.
  11. Who can do the pidyon? Someone who has studied the teachings of the Arizal and Rashash and who has seen and performed the pidyon and knows the kavanos from Siddur HaRashash. 

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim Publishing
Chassidic Classics in the English Language
chassid...@gmail.com
in Israel: 972-58-322-1218 (sorry no sms)
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