Take the “Redemption of the Firstborn” Quiz

Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as managing editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.

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65 Comments

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Yiscah Sarah Nairobi June 2, 2026

8/10 Reply

Elizabeth Ward Mirfield June 1, 2026

I got 8 which isn't bad for a goy. Reply

Raymond West Hollywood June 2, 2026

in response to Elizabeth Ward:

It would be a good score, even for a Jew Reply

Deborah Greene South Africa Jhb June 1, 2026

10/10 😂💕🕯Thanks so much
Pray for the Peace of Yerushalayim and the whole world Reply

Sarah Webber Jerusalem May 31, 2026

No Jew - Cohen, Levi or even Yisrael is "run of the mill". That was insulting. EVERY Jew is special. Reply

Raymond West Hollywood June 1, 2026

in response to Sarah Webber:

Sarah Webber is no "run of the mill". She is special Reply

josephine Levi Uk May 30, 2026

8/10 This was a hard one, but I thought I did quite well out of 10 Reply

Corinne Jones Germany May 30, 2026

8/10 better in two years of studying Reply

Chaim Hersch wolkowitz Brooklyn May 30, 2026

I am a בכור and my son is also a בכור I still forgot 1 fact Reply

Angela wilder Brooklyn May 29, 2026

10/10🤪 Reply

Feigue Cieplinski Middletown May 29, 2026

Thanks for this quiz that helps us understand" redemption." That redemption is done for a most of the newborn Jewish baby boys in the understanding of " Hakarat H'atov." In the instance referring to the first-born Egyptian boys were decimated as a lesson. ,It was a very hard lesson because it could have been otherwise , think that after living 400 years in Egypt Jews could misbehave. But ,as we are told, for these reasons were we redeemed: Belief in H', not changing the clothing, or the language. That behavior , surely, took tenacity "mi dor la dor." In memory of that we continue redeeming Jewish boys up to today.. My mistake was thinking that it included all Jewish boys. That is why I am grateful for the quizzes there is always something new to learn and review. Reply

Victoria California May 29, 2026

Question: If the first born is a daughter and the second is a son, does that son need to be redeemed? Reply

Helen Scotland May 29, 2026

4/10 Oh dear. Embarassing! I should have known better. But it is good to be able to improve one’s knowledge and understanding in these things. I also pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the peace of Israel. 🙏🏻 🇮🇱 Reply

Joan Esther Rani India May 28, 2026

7/10
Thank u 🙏 Reply

Rivka Rachum WEST ORANGE May 28, 2026

9/10. This was really fascinating! I had no idea it was so complicated. I do have 2 questions, though. 1) what if a woman has an abortion before she is married, does her firstborn son have a pideon haben? 2) what is the significance of the garlic and sugar? Thanks! Reply

Raymond West Hollywood May 28, 2026

in response to Rivka Rachum:

Common sense tells me that the redeeming of the firstborn no longer applies in cases where the woman has had some form of miscarriage Reply

Rivka Rachum WEST ORANGE May 29, 2026

in response to Raymond:

Not a miscarriage. An abortion, a termination of a pregnancy. Reply

Ilana Leeds Woodvale May 28, 2026

9/10 Reply

Elizabeth Ward MIRFIELD May 28, 2026

Two of those are inaccurate. You can redeem a donkey or break its neck (Exodus 13:13). And the Pidyon HaBen also has to do with the excess of ordinary Israelite first born males over the number of Levites (Numbers 3:44-48) Reply

Raymond West Hollywood May 28, 2026

in response to Elizabeth Ward:

I never understood how the kosher laws can be so careful to not cause any pain in the animal, and yet here is a passage straight from the Torah commanding us to break a donkey's neck Reply

Binyomin Karpelevitch June 1, 2026

in response to Raymond:

It's a bit of a misnomer that kosher is meant to minimize pain to an animal, it happens to be true most of the time but it's not the reason for kosher slaughter
Somebody who has a first born donkey is required to redeem it from the kohen. If he refuses (interesting how here that is an option), so to say to punish him the Torah says to kill the donkey, that way there is not much benefit from the donkey. Reply

Margaret M Wilson Chicago May 28, 2026

10 out of 10 Reply

Nili Ungar Southfield MI May 28, 2026

9/10, pretty good for a first born (although I am a bat kohen so this doesn't apply to me). Reply

Raymond West Hollywood May 28, 2026

I scored 8/10. I had not realized that the ceremony being described does not apply to either the Kohanim or Levites. I also got wrong that question about garlic, sugar, and the baby's name being written on parchment Reply

Raanan Gilboa May 28, 2026

I thought that this custom had something to do with the fact that all the first born Israelite boys were originally supposed to be offered for the religious services workforce but that they ended up being replaced by the Levite tribe after the golden calf incident.
Was I wrong? Reply

Aryeh krinsky so. California August 21, 2025

6 out of ten. It looks like some of your other posters went to the same Talmud Torah I went to. ( In Brooklyn) Reply

Mazal Zirkind Brooklyn November 27, 2025

in response to Aryeh krinsky:

:-)
This is the best site to supplement your Talmud Torah studies! Reply

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