action
redemption
At a glance
In short
Pidyon (verb podeh) is ransom or buying back, and geulah (verb goel) is redemption or deliverance. For the Vilna Gaon, pidyon is redemption through an exchange, and geulah rescue by sheer force, with no payment. Three others, the Chatam Sofer, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kosov and Malbim, run in a direction of their own, each making geulah the fuller term and pidyon the bare one. For the Chatam Sofer, geulah raises a person above his circumstances, beyond saving him from harm; for Malbim, pidyon is the bare fact of being saved, and geulah is redemption born of the closeness between redeemer and redeemed. Rabbi Chaim of Brisk, Rabbi Shmuel Tuvia Stern and Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim draw the line on other axes.
Distinctions
Pidyon (פדיון), pedus (פדות), podeh (פודה)
Root פ-ד-ה.
- The Vilna Gaon, on the two parallel redemptions of Yetzias Mitzrayim: the pidyon of the night of Pesach was an exchange, Hashem trading the Jewish firstborn for the Egyptian firstborn, saving the former and annihilating the latter; so pidyon is salvation that comes through a swap.
- Rabbi Chaim of Brisk, in the classical yeshivish cheftza-gavra terms: pidyon looks at the object redeemed and marks a change in the object's own status.
- Chatam Sofer: pidyon is negative redemption, simply being saved from the calamity at hand.
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kosov: temporary relief from what ails one.
- Malbim: pidyon is the bare fact of salvation.
- Rabbi Shmuel Tuvia Stern: pidyon takes something holy and releases it by transferring the holiness onto something else (the redemption of hekdesh); alternatively, pidyon is case-by-case redemption of the individual. (Rabbi Stern was the Rabbi of Miami Beach.)
A note on spelling: podeh is generally spelled with a hei, but in one place (Iyov 33:24) Scripture replaces the hei with an ayin (פדע).
- Rashi there reads pedaehu as pedahu, the ayin standing for an interchangeable aleph, and Ramban (to Devarim 21:14) likewise treats it as the same word.
- Ibn Janach, Menachem Ibn Saruk, and Radak, however, have separate entries for the hei form and the ayin form in their lexicons of Hebrew roots, implying that they understand the latter to be a separate word; and to this effect Malbim writes that podeh with an ayin may be related to a similar-sounding Arabic word meaning "removal."
Geulah (גאולה), goel (גואל)
Root ג-א-ל.
- The Vilna Gaon: the geulah of Yetzias Mitzrayim was rescue by sheer force, with no remuneration of any kind.
- Rabbi Chaim of Brisk: geulah looks at the owner and marks a change of ownership.
- Chatam Sofer: positive redemption, raised above one's circumstances and made greater, beyond being saved from something bad.
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kosov: comprehensive, everlasting deliverance.
- Malbim: geulah is redemption born of closeness between redeemer and redeemed, and that closeness is the impetus for the redeemer's feeling of responsibility to save. The same closeness lies behind goel hadam: when a man's relative is murdered he holds a status that may, under certain circumstances, perhaps allow avenging the death, and Bamidbar 35:19 calls him goel hadam, "redeemer of blood," where goel alludes to the avenger's kinship with his murdered brethren.
- Rabbi Shmuel Tuvia Stern: geulah takes what is profane and shakes off its non-holy associations so it may enter the domain of the holy; alternatively, geulah is mass redemption of the nation at large.
The end of Vayikra treats redemption in the legal sense: the right, or even the commandment, of the impoverished and their extended family to redeem property sold out of desperation and bring it back to the family, whether a field, a house of residence, or a person sold as a slave (Vayikra 25:25-55), and the halachic mechanisms for redeeming consecrated animals, houses, or fields (Vayikra 27:9-34). The verb there is sometimes goel and sometimes podeh: what is the difference between them?
Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim (Cheshek Shlomo s.v. פד): pidyah and geulah are one matter, since one pasuk uses both of one thing (Vayikra 27:27). They differ as every act differs from its aim. Gaal names the aim, the release itself, from gal, rolling off what covers a thing in bondage; so geulah is used mostly of pledged things, houses, slaves and land, returning from bondage to their owner or to themselves (Vayikra 25:24, 25:25, 25:48, 27:15). Padah names the act that brings the release, paying money or its worth or doing something by which the thing is freed (Shemos 13:13, 34:20; Vayikra 19:20; Bamidbar 3:48; Devarim 7:8; Shmuel I 14:45; Yeshayahu 1:27).
Also discussed in
- Salvationפורקן / purkan (with פדיון)
Radak on these roots
Sefer HaShorashim
ג-א-ל
To redeem, the near kinsman being called גואל because the right of redemption is his; and a second sense, of filth and soiling, to defile and be defiled.
Redeeming
גְּאַל ־לְךָ אַתָּה אֶת־גְּאֻלָּתִי (Rus 4:6), redeem for yourself my right of redemption; וּבָא גֹֽאֲלוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו (Vayikra 25:25), and his redeemer who is near to him shall come; and מִֽגֹּֽאֲלֵנוּ הֽוּא (Rus 2:20), he is one of our redeeming kinsmen: because the right of redemption belongs to the near relative, he is called גואל. Hashem redeeming His servant Yaakov is the same verb at Yeshayahu 48:20.
Being redeemed, and the noun
אֽוֹ־הִשִּׂיגָה יָדוֹ וְנִגְאָֽל (Vayikra 25:49), or if his means suffice, he is redeemed; וְאִם־לֹא יִגָּאֵל בְּאֵלֶּה (Vayikra 25:54), and if he is not redeemed by these; and the noun וּלְךָ הַגְּאֻלָּה (Yirmiyahu 32:8), and the right of redemption is yours.
Buying from a Levi, or redeeming
Some explain וַֽאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל מִן־הַֽלְוִיִּם (Vayikra 25:33) as אשר יקנה, what one buys from the Leviim; that is, if a man buys a house in a walled city from the Leviim, it is not made his outright after a year as one bought from an Israel would be, but goes out at the yovel if he did not redeem it. It may also be read as redemption, since the pasuk says גְּאֻלַּת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה לַֽלְוִיִּֽם (Vayikra 25:32), the Leviim shall have a perpetual right of redemption. One might have thought the pasuk speaks only of an Israel who took from a Levi, so that a Levi may redeem forever but a Levi who took from a Levi could not; therefore it says that a Levi redeems from the hand of a Levi with a perpetual redemption, and if he did not redeem it, the sale of the house and of the city of his holding goes out at the yovel.
Defiled
Another sense: הוֹי מֹֽרְאָה וְנִגְאָלָה (Tzefaniah 3:1), woe to her that is filthy and defiled; בַּמֶּה גֵֽאַלְנוּךָ (Malachi 1:7), wherein have we defiled You, and in that same pasuk לֶחֶם מְגֹאָל, defiled bread; וַיְגֹֽאֲלוּ מִן־הַכְּהֻנָּֽה (Nechemiah 7:64), and they were put out of the priesthood as defiled; נְגֹֽאֲלוּ בַדָּם (Yeshayahu 59:3), they are defiled with blood; גָּֽאֳלֵי הַכְּהֻנָּה (Nechemiah 13:29), those who defiled the priesthood; and אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־ יִתְגָּאַל בְּפַת־בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ (Daniel 1:8), that he would not defile himself with the king's food. All of them are a matter of filth and befouling.
Other readings of two pesukim
יִגְאָלֻהוּ חשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת (Iyov 3:5), in the sense of filth, means, let darkness and the shadow of death defile it. Some read it from מִֽגֹּֽאֲלֵנוּ הֽוּא (Rus 2:20), he is one of our kinsmen; that is, let darkness and the shadow of death be its near kin. And some read וַיְגֹֽאֲלוּ מִן־הַכְּהֻנָּֽה (Nechemiah 7:64) from that sense of kinship turned to its opposite, as מַשְׁרִישׁ, taking root, stands against מִשָׁרֵשׁ, uprooting: a גואל is the near kinsman and a מגאל one put far from kinship and family, and these were put far from the priesthood because they did not find their record of lineage.
A stained garment
וְכָל־מַלְבּוּשַׁי אֶגְאָֽלְתִּי (Yeshayahu 63:3), and I have stained all my raiment, whose proper form is הִגְאָלְתִּי, the alef standing in place of the hei of the form.
גָּאַל י"י עַבְדּוֹ יַֽעֲקֹֽב (ישעיה מח, כ), גְּאַל־לְךָ אַתָּה אֶת־גְּאֻלָּתִי (רות ד, ו), וּבָא גֹֽאֲלוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו (ויקרא כה, כה), מִֽגֹּֽאֲלֵנוּ הֽוּא (רות ב, כ), לפי שלקרוב משפט הגאולה נקרא גואל. והנפעל אֽוֹ־הִשִּׂיגָה יָדוֹ וְנִגְאָֽל (ויקרא כה, מט), וְאִם־לֹא יִגָּאֵל בְּאֵלֶּה (ויקרא כה, נד). והשם וּלְךָ הַגְּאֻלָּה (ירמיה לב, ח). ויש מפרשים וַֽאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל מִן־הַֽלְוִיִּם (ויקרא כה, לג), אשר יקנה, כלומר אם יקנה אדם מהלוים בית עיר חומה לא יחלט לשנה כמו מישראל אלא יצא ביובל אם לא גאלו בבתים. ויש לפרשו לשון גאולה, לפי שאמר גְּאֻלַּת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה לַֽלְוִיִּֽם (ויקרא כה, לב), יכול לא דבר הכתוב אלא בישראל שלקח מיד לוי שיש ללוי לגאול לעולם אבל לוי שלקח מלוי לא יגאל לעולם לפיכך אמר וַֽאֲשֶׁר יִגְאַל מִן־הַֽלְוִיִּם כלומר לוי גואל מיד לוי גאלת עולם ואם לא גאלו ויצא ממכר בית ועיר אחוזתו ביובל. וענין אחר הוֹי מֹֽרְאָה וְנִגְאָלָה (צפניה ג, א), מלרע והוא נפעל עומד. ופועל הכבד [פִּעֵל] בַּמֶּה גֵֽאַלְנוּךָ (מלאכי א, ז), לֶחֶם מְגֹאָל (שם). ושלא נזכר פועלו [פֻּעַל] וַיְגֹֽאֲלוּ מִן־הַכְּהֻנָּֽה (נחמיה ז, סד), והמורכב ממנו עם הנפעל נְגֹֽאֲלוּ בַדָּם (ישעיה נט, ג), והתאר גָּֽאֳלֵי הַכְּהֻנָּה (נחמיה יג, כט), בפלס תָּאֳמֵי צְבִיָּֽה (שיר השירים ז, ד), וההתפעל אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־יִתְגָּאַל בְּפַת־בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ (דניאל א, ח). וכבד אחר [הִפְעִיל] וְכָל־מַלְבּוּשַׁי אֶגְאָֽלְתִּי (ישעיה סג, ג), משפטו הִגְאָלְתִּי האל"ף תמורת ה"א הבנין. והפעל הקל מזה הענין יִגְאָלֻהוּ חשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת (איוב ג, ה), כלם ענין טנוף ולכלוך. ויש מפרשים יִגְאָלֻהוּ חשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת מענין מִֽגֹּֽאֲלֵנוּ הֽוּא (רות ב, כ), כלומר יהיו קרוביו החשך והצלמות. ויש מפרשים מזה וַיְגֹֽאֲלוּ מִן־הַכְּהֻנָּֽה (נחמיה ז, סד), גאלה הכהנה, והוא הפך הענין כמו מַשְׁרִישׁ וּמִשָׁרֵשׁ כן גּוֹאֵל הוא הקרוב וּמִגֹאֵל הוא שנתרחק מן הקרבה והמשפחה והם נתרחקו שלא מצאו כתב היחש.
פ-ד-ה
To redeem, with its nouns for redemption and ransom. The פְדֻת set between My people and yours is that they are redeemed and saved, which sets the two apart.
Redeeming
פָּדָה בְשָׁלוֹם נַפְשִׁי (Tehillim 55:19), He has redeemed my soul in peace, and וְהוּא יִפְדֶּה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל (Tehillim 130:8), and He will redeem Israel.
The nouns
פְּדוּת שָׁלַח לְעַמּוֹ (Tehillim 111:9), He sent redemption to His people; in another pattern וְיֵקַר פִּדְיוֹן נַפְשָׁם (Tehillim 49:9), and the ransom of their soul is costly; with a mem, אֵת כֶּסֶף הַפִּדְיוֹם (Bamidbar 3:49), the ransom money; and in another pattern again, וְאֵת פְּדוּיֵי הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (Bamidbar 3:46), the redemption of the three, whose singular is פְּדוּי, a redemption, formed like כְּסוּי עוֹר תַּחַשׁ (Bamidbar 4:6), a covering of tachash skin.
Redeemed, and helped to redemption
לֹא נִפְדָּתָה (Vayikra 19:20), she was not redeemed; and יְעָדָהּ וְהֶפְדָּהּ (Shemos 21:8), he designated her, and let her be redeemed. וְהֶפְדָּהּ is that the one who designated her helps in her redemption, that is, he takes off her redemption price for the years she was with him, as though she had been hired to him, and she pays him the rest and goes free. The infinitive of the passive is וְהָפְדֵּה לֹא נִפְדָּתָה (Vayikra 19:20), and she was not redeemed at all.
A redemption that sets apart
וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ (Shemos 8:19), and I will set a redemption between My people and your people: the redemption is that they are redeemed and saved from the wild beasts, and that is the separation and the distinction between My people and your people.
פָּדָה בְשָׁלוֹם נַפְשִׁי (תהלים נה, יט), וְהוּא יִפְדֶּה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל (תהלים קל, ח). והשם פְּדוּת שָׁלַח לְעַמּוֹ (תהלים קיא, ט). ומשקל אחר וְיֵקַר פִּדְיוֹן נַפְשָׁם (תהלים מט, ט). ובמ"ם אֵת כֶּסֶף הַפִּדְיוֹם (במדבר ג, מט), בפלס שִׁלְשֹׁם. ומשקל אחר וְאֵת פְּדוּיֵי הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (במדבר ג, מו), שהאחד ממנו פְּדוּי בשקל כְּסוּי עוֹר תַּחַשׁ (במדבר ד, ו). והנפעל לֹא נִפְדָּתָה (ויקרא יט, כ). והפעל הכבד [הִפְעִיל] אֲשֶׁר־לֹא [לוֹ] יְעָדָהּ וְהֶפְדָּהּ (שמות כא, ח). ופירוש והפדה שהוא יסייע בפדיונה כלומר שמגרע פדיונה מספר השנים שהיתה אצלו כאילו שכורה אצלו ותתן לו השאר ויוצאה. והמקור מבנין שלא נזכר פעלו ממנו [הָפְעַל] וְהָפְדֵּה לֹא נִפְדָּתָה (ויקרא יט, כ). ופירוש וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ (שמות ח, יט), שהפדות הוא שיפדו וינצלו הם מן הערוב והוא הפרש והכרה בין עמי ובין עמך.
פ-ד-ע
To redeem: its one word, פְּדָעֵהוּ, he glosses as פדהו, redeem him.
All his entry holds
פְּדָעֵהוּ מֵרֶדֶת שָׁחַת (Iyov 33:24), redeem him from going down to the pit, which he glosses as פדהו, redeem him. That is the whole of the entry.
פְּדָעֵהוּ מֵרֶדֶת שָׁחַת (איוב לג, כד), כמו פדהו.
Radak, Sefer HaShorashim, Berlin 1847. Public domain, digitised by Sefaria from the National Library of Israel.
Sources
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "Words of Redemption," What's in a Word?, Ohr Somayach, 5 May 2018.
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "Words of Redemption," What's in a Word? Synonyms in the Hebrew Language (book manuscript).
Cited in the essay: Vayikra 25:25-55, 27:9-34; Bamidbar 35:19; Iyov 33:24 with Rashi; Ramban to Devarim 21:14; the Vilna Gaon; Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk; the Chatam Sofer; Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager of Kosov; Malbim, Sefer HaCarmel s.v. גאל, פדה, פדע; Rabbi Shmuel Tuvia Stern; Ibn Janach, Menachem Ibn Saruk and Radak; Pappenheim, Cheshek Shlomo s.v. פד; Vayikra 19:20, 25:24, 25:25, 25:48, 27:15, 27:27; Shemos 13:13, 34:20; Bamidbar 3:48; Devarim 7:8; Shmuel I 14:45; Yeshayahu 1:27.