Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Firstborn) and 84 Fasts

Chazal teach that one who partakes of the bread served at the Pidyon HaBen meal “Pidyon HaBen” - פדיון הבן - is considered as though he had fasted for 84 days. We find a hint to this in the word “pidyom” (instead of the usual “pidyon”) that appears in the Torah. This word consists of the combination of the letters “peh” and “dalet,” which equal (80 + 4), together with the word “yom” (day)—thus yielding 84 days. 84 is not a simple number. In the Tikkunim of the Arizal, 84 fasts are prescribed for the wasting of seed. פדיון הבן has a gematria of 207—also the gematria of the words אור—“light” (or) and “raz” (secret). (Based on the weekly Torah portion commentaries of Rabbi Michael Menachem Gitik)

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Tags: Number 84, 84 Fasts and the Mitzvah of Pidyon HaBen, Pidyon HaBen, Psalm 84, Tikunim of the Arizal, Pidyon Ha-Ben

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Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Firstborn) and 84 Fasts

Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Firstborn) and 84 Fasts

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