[Avodah] questions regarding pidyon haben

[Zev Sero]

Ben Waxman wrote:
 
> 1) how much should the coins used be worth?

AIUI they should be 96 grams of silver.  I also U that Israel mints
coins specifically for this purpose.

 
> 2) Is it an accepted practice to put garlic and sugar on the tray and
> if so in what form?

AFAIK the garlic and sugar are not put on the tray, but distributed
to the guests at the seudah, for them to take home and eventually
incorporate into a meal of their own, so that everyone who eats of that
meal will also have a part in the seudas mitzvah.  Essentially this is
the same minhag as that of taking home cake from a bris, for those who
weren't able to make it.  The reason for garlic and sugar is that they
are not perishable, and a little bit can flavour a large pot.

 
> 3) Is it an accepted practice to put jewelry on the tray?

It's been the minhag at every PHB I've ever been to (including my own,
though I don't remember that!)


> Most importantly (for my own understanding and please forgive my ignorance)
> - what is the big simcha? The child should have served Hashem in a very
> special way but cannot because of the sins of the bchorim before him. The
> Cohen has a reason to celebrate but what exactly is the family of the bchor
> celebrating?

You could ask the same about milah; wouldn't it be better if we had
been created without an orlah?  Adam Harishon was created without one,
and if not for the sin of Etz Hadaat, we would not have them either.
So why are we celebrating?  But we are as we are, in need both of milah
and pidyon haben as a result of our ancestors' lost opportunities, and
we were given mitzvot to correct that, so when we do them we are happy.
This is different from the mitzvot of get or avelut: we hope never to be
in a situation where we have to fulfil them, and thus we can't celebrate
when we unfortunately are; but we certainly don't hope never to have
children, even though they will be born imperfect and will need milah
and pidyon!

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher