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What are the reasons why garlic and cubes of sugar are put on the tray at a Pidyon Haben? What is the halacha about this or is it only a minhag?
Thanks for your input.
Because babies taste better with garlic and sugar.
But seriously, from what I have heard, it is only a minhag. I believe there are those who say the garlic is a segula for fertility and the sugar shows that the mitzvos are sweet, but I don’t have a source for that.
both can be shared by a large group when added to a pot of food
I learned something about the fact that they’re so concentrated, so the little you get goes a long way and spreads the mitzvah/zchus/something like that further.
The reason is because someone who is at the seuda of a pidyon it is considered as if he fasted 40 fasts. Therefore to give many more people this opportunity, we give out garlic and sugar which is a food that can be spread into many other foods and many people can partake.
Since one who partakes in the seuda of a pidyon haben is considered to have fasted 84 fasts. therefore we give out things that have strong flavor so that you could put them in another food and serve the food to many other to allow them to partake in the seuda as well.
“Some follow the practice of distributing garlic to those present at pidyon ha-ben feast.
Reason: certaine books mentioned the immense spiritual significance of the pidyon ha-ben feast. It is said thet whoever participates in such a reast is considered to have fasted 84 fasts. Bu distributing garlic, a small quantity of which can spice entire potfuls of food, we enable many others “to share” the meal of the pidyon ha-ben”
From book “Rite and Reason. 1050 Jewish Customs and Their Sources” by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard.
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