Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman
At the meal following the fulfillment of the commandment of redeeming the firstborn, at which Rav Kahaneman served as the kohen, he gave a speech and dwelt on the question the kohen asks the child’s father at the beginning of the redemption:
“Which do you prefer: your firstborn son or the five sela’im [of silver] that you are obligated [to pay me as his redemption price]?”
The Ponevezher Rav asks, “What is the meaning of this question? Could anyone even imagine that a father would be capable of giving up his firstborn son?”
The answer is: “This question concerns more than the redemption itself. It goes deeper, also addressing the young father’s path through life. Through it, the kohen makes it clear to the child’s father, who is now beginning the task of raising him, that he must make a choice: what will be the guiding principle by which he raises his children?
‘Which do you prefer’—on what foundation will you build your life?
Do you place your son and the upbringing you will give him above everything else? Or are possessions perhaps more important to you, so that you are willing to sacrifice your son’s future to acquire them?”