Time to Stop Using Chickens for Kaparot

By The Shamayim V’Aretz Institute

Kaparot (Ritual Redemption)

Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, many Jews ritually atone for their sins. The Jewish tradition provides a few ways to atone, including swinging money around one's head or a chicken. Once swung around the head, the chicken is ritually slaughtered and supposed to be given to the poor. There is no legal imperative to use a chicken for this ritual and so we call on all Jews to stop using chickens for kaparot and to use money instead as the chickens are grossly mistreated.

Each year thousands of chickens are kept in harsh conditions waiting to be used for kaparot. Many are never used and some are left to die of dehydration and starvation. Furthermore, undercover investigations have revealed that ritually slaughtered kosher chickens allegedly earmarked for “the poor” were instead thrown into the trash.

What is Kapparot?

Kapparot is a Jewish religious practice in which a live chicken is swung over a person’s head three times before the chicken is slaughtered. The purpose of the ritual is for the chicken to symbolically receive all the sins of the man or woman participating in the ritual, which is practiced before Yom Kippur.

Kapparot originated in medieval times and today only a small fraction of members of the Jewish faith practice the ritual using live chickens. The vast majority of observant Jews use coins instead of chickens. Many rabbis condemn the use of chickens as unethical and contrary to the spirit of Jewish tradition.

Why Do We Oppose Kapparot?

The pain and suffering than chickens endure as part of the Kapparot ritual is unimaginable. In addition to being slaughtered, many chickens are subjected to torturous conditions leading up to their death. (from www.kapparot.org)

Relevant Articles

• A Brief History of a Fowl Custom tabletmag.com
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• My Opinion on Kaparos With a Chicken (Don’t Do It) archive.org/finkorswim.com
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• A Plea Against the Custom of Kapparot mymorningmeditations.com
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Orthodox rabbis who have come out in opposition to the practice of chicken Kapparos