Why Give Garlic Cloves at a Pidyon HaBen?

Home Forums Simchas Why Give Garlic Cloves at a Pidyon HaBen?

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1768626
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Why were sachets filled with garlic cloves given out at a pidyon haben?

    I saw some of the children walking around holding sachets of garlic cloves that were given out before the ceremony.

    Thank you ๐Ÿ™‚

    #1768810
    Pinchas
    Participant

    Was there suger cubes also? The garlic is for the chulent and the suger is for your coffee Shabbos morning…

    #1768809
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    its a long standing minhag..

    #1768812
    rational
    Participant

    There is a kabalah (Rabi Tzadok Hacohen) that eating from a seudat pidyon haben is equivalent to fasting 84 days, which is a segulah for atonement (kaparat avonot, Rav Chaim Vital). The remez is ืคื“ื™ื•ื = ืค”ื“ ื™ื•ื. In order to partake in the seudah and reap the benefits, it is enough to eat even a slight amount of food, provided the food has a noticeable taste. Since garlic and sugar have distinct tastes, there is a minhag to hand out garlic and sugar at a pidyon. That way a large number of people can benefit at a very small cost.

    #1768811

    Garlic and sugar cubes

    It is said that food from a ืคื“ื™ื•ืŸ ื”ื‘ืŸ is like 84 fasts ืคื“ so putting the garlic or sugar in your food you get 84 fasts for each bite

    #1768816
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Yes, they also gave out sugar cubes with the garlic!

    So interesting ๐Ÿ™‚

    #1768828
    Ysiegel
    Participant

    Yes! We did this too for our pidyon not long ago; apparently it is a minhag that many Lubavitchers keep as well.

    #1768824
    hockintherock
    Participant

    So I heard that like others have said that it is a segulah to eat from a pidyon haben. The reason specifically garlic and sugar cubes is because back in the Heim a pidyon haben was rare and everyone wanted a piece of it. So someone would go and eat there and bring home leftovers for others. But after a long journey back home to the shtetel, the food would spoil. So they gave out sugar and garlic which doesn’t spoil very quickly.

    #1768883
    Avi K
    Participant

    Garlic keeps the vampires away.

    #1768820
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    These various minhagim probably have roots in kabbalah etc. some of which have more intuitive logic then others but all are obviously practices that provide positive energy to the participants in a Simcha. Whatever gives people a sense of optimism that their actions will result in a segulah and intercession from shamayim they should go with.

    #1769118
    Avi K
    Participant

    Dor. many things that “give people a sense of optimism that their actions will result in a segulah” are prohibited as darchei Emori (superstitions).

    #1769341
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Avi K: I don’t get it though.

    Many Jewish practices appear to be done to result in a segulah.

    For example, here are two things that I’ve been told:

    -Eating in a sukkah during the last day of Sukkot is supposed to bring you extra blessings and success.

    -Proposing to a woman during a bris is supposed to bring extra blessings to the marriage.

    -Simply being present at a bris will bring you blessings.

    -Giving tzedekah will result in you making/receiving more money.

    #1769560
    rational
    Participant

    The list of segulahs is massive, seemingly endless. Most of them are intended to assist in providing children (including all necessary preparations leading up to it), health and financial prosperity (ื‘ื ื™, ื—ื™ื™ ื•ืžื–ื•ื ื™) There are books filled with segulahs that are easily purchased. Some people believe in them , some less, some live by them and some completely avoid them.

    #1769643
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    *Oops, I ended writing more than two things

    #1769646
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Avi K, so what do you do if someone waves for you to come closer to the baby at the bris to benefit from the brachot? If the room is packed, do you sardine yourself in there? Do you say, “No thanks, it’s just a segulah? It’s against Torah for me to do it for the sake of the brachah.”

    What about if someone tells you to “Eat eat,” in the sukkah when you’re not hungry and don’t want to eat something? Often, I end up eating a bite in that situation.

    Maybe most Jews don’t find themselves in such situations because their practices and directions are already established in the community? I’m a BT, so people enjoy involving me in new practices?

    For those who ignore segulot because they go against Torah, then would going along with a segulah be like putting a stumbling block before the blind?

    (For the record, I appreciate it when people care to include me in gaining blessings and such. I’m not a fan of having to eat what feels like random food at times, but I do my best and take a bite when possible. Thanks.)

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.