Pidyon Nefesh

The Pidyon Nefesh or Soul Redemption is a prayer on behalf of someone who usually gives a sum of charity for its sake. The prayer and charity received are ideally said by someone of high spiritual stature. These prayers beseech God to remove the strict spiritual judgments and difficulties that rest on the person.

Like any sincere sacrifice, its amount should be substantial enough to be "felt" by the giver, according to their means and honest ability.

Rav Dror will say the prayers for all the Pidyon Nefashot given.

A few more words about the Pidyon Nefesh may be helpful for those unfamiliar with the concept. These prayers and charity are literally translated as "Soul Redemption," but they mean something very different from similar concepts in other religions. While in other religions, one's eternity and the afterlife are thought to depend on their soul being "Saved" or "redeemed," the Hebrew Pidyon Nefesh has no connection with this concept. The Pidyon Nefesh is a prayer aimed at removing spiritual difficulties that attach themselves to a part of our souls called the "Nefesh." The Nefesh is not the innermost Eternal part of our soul, but rather it's the part of our souls that connects with our body and what we use as we interact in the world. This world is not clean or easy, and spiritual challenges can attach themselves to us due to life in it. The Pidyon Nefesh is a means to remove some of those challenges and blockages.