Prohibition Against Casting Spells (and other magic related things)

When I was choosing my mitzvah for the mitzvah project I wanted to pick something that deeply intrigued me. For some reason I have always been interested in the prohibition we have against magic (maybe it comes from my love of Harry Potter). I decided to reserch the prohibition with a focus on casting spells. One might think that this prohibition is not relevant to us today. Years ago, magic and witchcraft was very popular, but it is unlikely for you to meet someone today who calls themselves a sorcerer and most people don't study spell books in their free time, and practice incantations. However, this mitzvah is fully applicable today to men and women. Why, because casting a spell is not limited to murmuring latin while waving a wand, the root of the averah is saying words that you believe have an inherit value to change the outcome of a situation you have no control over. For example, a sports fan must say, "I have to sing my team's fight song while holding an apple, so they win the game."

So why do we have such a strong prohibition against magic? There are two main reasons. Rambam explains that we shouldn't get involved with these things because they are not real. Ramban says that doing magic interferes with nature and it is not our job to do that, it is the responsibility of G-d. Modern day Rabbis such as, Rabbi Osher Chaim Levene and Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky, agree with the Ramban. Both saying that magic is not a "Jewish activity" or concept. Rabbi Lopiansky explains that if you don't appreciate nature as the creation of G-d (and under his control) you think that you have the ability to control which leads to disbelief in G-d. You may come to think that you have powers of G-d and not remember that no matter what we do, everything comes from G-d.

I enjoyed researching this mitzvah because I gained a stronger grasp on it's relevance to our lives. Obviously I knew that the mitzvah wasn't gotten rid of because witch craft is not common today, but I didn't realize how apperant it was in our everyday lives. Many people might be guilty of this without even realizing because they are just saying words. Now that I have a deeper understanding, I can see that this mitzvah isn't just another thing on the list of things we can't do; it is a mitzvah that protects our belief and relationship with G-d, and recognizing him as the Creator.

Chaya's Mitzvah Project: Pidyon Haben

For my Mitzvah Project, I learned about the Mitzvah of Pidyon Haben. Before starting this project, I had heard of the Mitzvah and some of the minhagim that go along with it, but didn’t have a real understanding of it. What I learned from my research was that the Mitzvah of Pidyon Haben originates from Shemot:13:13-15, where it states, “Every firstborn of man among your sons, you shall redeem...”, as well as in Bamidbar:3 45-47, where is is written, “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborns among the children of Israel . . . You shall take five shekels per head, according to the holy shekel, by which the shekel is twenty gerahs”.

Some rationales for this mitzvah are given in the different statements of great Jewish thinkers. The Rambam states in Sefer Hamitzvot that “the first born is redeemed from the Priest, who has as it were a title to him, and is bought from him for five selas.” This is saying that the Kohein has an actual possession over all firstborns and technically, they belong to the mishkan/beit hamikdash, so it is necessary to physically buy them back from the Kohein to regain possession of them. Another interpretation is that of Rashi who said that Hashem originally made it that the firstborn from each family would be a kohein for the beit hamikdash. But after the golden calf, only the Leviim chose Hashem over idol worship, and therefore, everyone else was stripped of their Kohein status, and from then on, the kohanim only came from the tribe of Levi. Eliyahu Kitov, a contemporary Jewish thinker,suggested that Hashem gave the mitzvah of pidyon haben as a reward to the Jewish people for fulfilling the mitzvot of Brit milah and the korban pesach even under difficult conditions. We are being honored as a nation for being loyal to Hashem, who sanctifies the firstborns.

I learned that the baby must be the firstborn born to parents who are both neither kohanim or Leviim, and who was born on time, healthy, and naturally. The mitzvah has to be carried out when the baby is at least thirty days old, and should be done as soon as possible. The obligation for this mitzvah is on the father, so it is his responsibility to carry out this mitzvah. At the ceremony, the father brings his son before a kohein, gives the kohein the equivalent of 5 selahs (5 American silver coins) and recites a special bracha. The kohein accepts the money and circles it around the child’s head while reciting a passuk, and then placed his hands on the child’s head and blesses him. The ceremony cannot be on Shabbos or Yom Tov, and a festive meal should be served. It is a custom to bring the baby to the kohein on a silver tray adorned with jewelry.

Researching the mitzvah of Pidyon Haben has given me a deeper understanding of what a special mitzvah this truly is. Since the criteria are so specific, only about one out of ten families have the opportunity to do this mitzvah, which makes is incredibly special. Pidyon Haben is a fascinating mitzvah that one should definitely perform if they are lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so.