Photo Credit: Yaakov Lederman/Flash90
In the book of Shemot we learn of the mitzvah of Pidyon Petter Chamor-Redemption of the firstborn donkey:
Shemot 34:20 And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty.
Part of the concept of redeeming a donkey, which represents an animal with no sanctity or holiness, implies that even the lowest can be redeemed, and transformed into something better than itself and thus deserving life, in this case, via the redemption process with a sheep.
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This particular ceremony was performed on Thursday in the town of Beit Shemesh.
No animals were injured in the redemption process.
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