Secular Jews in Israel are beginning to show interest in fulfilling the mitzvah of pidyon haben – redemption of the first-born son.

While circumcision has long been an accepted practice even among the non-religious, the same has not been true of pidyon haben, which many secular Israelis have mistakenly viewed as some sort of folklore.

To make such Jews more familiar with the meaning and details of this mitzvah a conference was held last month in Jerusalem by the Tzohar organization. The organizers said that in the last two, three years great interest about pidyon haben has been growing and the conference was intended to provide answers to questions about the practice.

Observers of this phenomenon are hoping that the renewed redemption of the first-born among all Jews will hasten the ultimate redemption of G-d's "first-born" – the People of Israel.

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