R. Simlai was present at a Redemption of the Firstborn,1 He was asked: It is obvious that for the redemption of the firstborn it is the father who must recite the blessing, ‘who hast sanctified us with Thy commandments and hast given us command concerning the redemption of the first born.’ But as for the blessing, ‘Blessed . . . who hast kept us alive and preserved us and enabled us to reach this season,’ does the priest2 recite it or the child's father? Does the priest recite the blessing, since the benefit redounds to him; or does the child's father recite it, since it is he who carries out a religious duty?3 He could not answer it, so he went and asked it at the schoolhouse, and he was told: The child's father recites both blessings. And the law is that the child's father recites both blessings. 4