Are you chicken?!

September 24, 2007 - 12:43 PM by

Because my explanation of all things Jewish is never as good as Wikipedia, here is some quick information about the Yom Kippur tradition of kaporot.

Hebrew: ??????, “atonements”) is a traditional Jewish religious ritual that takes place around the time of the High Holidays. Classically, it is performed by grasping a live chicken by the shoulder blades and moving around one’s head three times, symbolically transferring one’s sins to the chicken. The chicken is then slaughtered and donated to the poor, preferably eaten at the pre-Yom Kippur feast. Preferably, a man should use a rooster, and a woman should use a hen for the ritual.

In modern times, Kapparos is performed in the traditional form mostly in Haredi communities. Members of other communities tend to perform this ritual with charity money substituted for the chicken, swung over one’s head in similar fashion.

Yes, I had a chicken swung over my head (more like “levitate”). After many years of hearing my parents say “Shlug a-kapporis, Poi Poi Poi (that’s “spit”)!”, I finally understood what my yiddishe-mama was talking about. I was given the choice to give 25 shekels to benefit a local orphanage, or 25 shekels to make friends with a chicken and to benefit a local orphanage. I chose the chicken. Here are some pictures from the adventure in Mea Shearim. And yes, chicken-doo did end up on my head.

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The look on this kid’s face is classic.

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Round one and Round two (this is where it pooped on my head).

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Round three and kiss for being such a good sport.

Tags: • Category: General 

Comments

2 Comments on Are you chicken?!

  1. Idan on Mon, Sep 24th 2007 1:17 PM

    2. Score one for barbaric superstition!

  2. Avi on Mon, Sep 24th 2007 2:20 PM

    3. Interestingly enough, Rabbi Joseph Caro, who wrote the Shulchan Aruch — the most important Jewish law code — called this thing customarily done (as opposed to custom, in Hebrew ???? and not ????) barbaric and said that it should be stopped.

    Of course Rabbi Moshe Iserliss, who wrote what could be called the Ashkenazi response to it was like “well, it’s an old custom so don’t go trashing it.” I think differently.

    So, this barbaric superstition isn’t exactly universally endorsed. Just saying.

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