The mysticism of “kaparot”: why do Jews spin a chicken over their heads?

The custom of "kaparot" before Yom Kippur is a very ancient and common custom in most Jewish communities. At the same time, debates about it have been going on for hundreds of years. These days they have become even more relevant due to campaigns carried out by animal rights activists.

As a rule, this custom is held on the day before Yom Kippur, although it is also possible on the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. According to the tradition, a rooster or a chicken is turned over a person’s head and they declare that the bird is going to die, and the person over whose head it has been turned will have a good life and well-being. After that, the bird is transferred to the bedwheel and the meat is distributed to the poor. It is accepted that a rooster is used for men and a chicken for women. (Chuvot agonaim 3,93) Among the halachic authorities were those who believed that giving such a bird to the poor was to dishonor and humiliate them, and therefore they recommend giving the poor the monetary equivalent of this bird (according to Maaril).

During the ceremony, it is customary to recite several verses from Psalm 107 (10,14, 17-21) “(10) Those who sit in darkness and gloom, bound in suffering and iron,” “(14) He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their bonds”, “(17) Fools suffer because of their sinful path and because of their iniquities. (18) Their soul rejected all food, and they reached the gates of death. (19) And they cried to the Lord in their distress, and He delivered them from their need. (20) He sent His word, and healed them, and saved them from the graves. (21) Let them thank the Lord for His mercy and for His miracles - before the sons of men,” as well as verses from the book of Job (32,23:24-XNUMX): “If there is an angel - an intercessor for him - one of a thousand , in order to proclaim his righteousness about a person, (Then) he will take pity on (the person) and say: “Save him, so that he does not go to the grave: I have found redemption (for him).”

This custom caused and causes a lot of controversy and debate among halakhic authorities. His supporters were RAMO, ROSH and ARIZAL, and opponents of RASHBA, RAMBAN, and Rav Yosef Karo. Opponents of this custom use money instead of chickens (there is no specific amount required, and typically typological numbers [18,26,10 and multiples of them] are used, but there are also those who use fish or even vegetables. From R. E. Talberg, who heads the Russian-speaking religious community " Nitoc Mahanaim of the city of Karmiel, I heard the idea of ​​using an egg.

There is no exact information when exactly this custom appeared. Most likely, its prototype was one of the ceremonies of the temple service on Yom Kippur - the sending of a scapegoat (“seir leazazel”) into the desert. What the ceremonies have in common is that human sins are transferred to the animal, which is killed, and in this way it atones for the sins of man. The main difference between the ceremonies is that the sending of the scapegoat was a national act, and it atoned for the sins of the entire people, while the bird, or its equivalent, atoned for each individual. The very order of the ceremony and what is customary to say at this time are reminiscent of the custom of ransoming the firstborn during the period of the Geons in Babylon (Rabeinu Hananel's commentary on the Torah, mentioned by Rabbeinu Behaie in Parshat Shoftim).

The earliest source of this custom is the 7 century responsiveness of Rabbi Shoshan Gaon from Sura, mentioned in the Rosh answers at the end of the treatise Yoma of the Babylonian Talmud (BT). Most likely, this custom was already common in Babylon in the 6 century in the era of Savoroi, and its roots go back to the period of the Talmud. There are hints in the Talmud about the existence of such a custom, but it does not mention that it was related to redemption (BT, Ktubot 5,1; BT, Khulin 94,2; 110,1). According to Rabbi Shlomo Goren, the source of the custom is mentioned in BT, the treatise Shabbat (81,2) in Rashi’s commentary. This custom is not mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud.

It also follows from Shoshan Gaon's response that rich people of that time used animals, in particular antelopes, for this rite. It is clear that they were not twisted over their heads, but laid hands on them, like temple sacrifices. One explanation for the use of roosters and chickens is connected not only with the wide availability of these birds, but also because they were not used during the temple service and thus eliminated the slightest fear that someone would try to sacrifice outside the Temple. A similar custom in the days of the Gaon was made on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.

Over time, this custom spread from Babylon to Spain, France, Germany and the rest of the diaspora.

Why did this custom have and have opponents? According to the Ramban, this custom is a custom, the source of which is either idolatry or superstition that has a non-Jewish origin (Responsy XRUM 391). There were those who opposed this custom, as it resembled temple sacrifices. Rambam did not mention this custom in Mishne Torah and his other works, and therefore he was not accepted among Yemeni Jews.

Rav Yosef Karo in his halachic code “Shulchan Aruch” (Orach Chaim, 505) argued that this custom should be abolished, and in the first edition during his lifetime this section was titled “The custom of kapparot on the eve of Yom Kippur is a stupid custom.” . In later editions, the words "foolish custom" were removed. Another reason for opposition to this custom was the fear that due to haste, there was a high probability of violating the laws of shechita and killing birds. Another important reason is the fear that participants in a given custom may rely on it instead of seeking to correct their own shortcomings.

Another serious factor against this custom is the fear that the Torah’s prohibition on cruelty to animals will be violated (“tsaar baalei chaim” -VT Baba Metzia 32, Shabbat 154, Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 272). Many rabbis in the past, especially in Sephardic communities, held this view long before the advent of modern animal rights organizations. Often, many hours, and sometimes even days, pass between the time the birds are delivered from poultry farms to the places where this custom takes place, and all this time the birds are in terribly crowded cages and deprived of food and water.

In our time, the most famous opponents of this custom include Rav Chaim David ha-Levi (“Ase Lecha Rav” part 3, p. 57), Rav Pinchas Zavihi (he proceeds from the fact that this custom has no obvious sources in the Mishnah and the Talmud (Ateret Paz, part 1, volume 2), Rav Shlomo Aviner (head of the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva and rav of the Beit El settlement), Rav Yuval Sherlo, head of the Orot Shaul yeshiva, according to whom “it is wrong to show cruelty in towards animals, and I myself do not perform this custom in this way." According to Rav Fruman, "performing the custom of kapparot with the help of money ... corresponds to the expectations of Rav Kook."

Among the past generation of rabbis are the most famous Kabbalist Rabbi Yahak Kaduri, who said in 2002 year that it is preferable to give money to the poor, and not to be confused on the eve of Yom Kippur with the Torah’s ban on animal cruelty. About Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ouerbach it is known that in the beginning he did the rite for the bird, then he switched to fish, and in the last years of his life with the money that he gave to the poor. Also Rav Ovadia Yosef used only money. The current chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, urges to be careful with this custom and stresses that custom cannot be observed through violating the Torah commandment.

Recently, opponents of this custom have also appeared in the Haredi environment within the organization Behemla (abbreviation: Haredi Mitnadvim Lemaan Hayot - Haredi Animal Welfare Volunteers). According to the head of the organization, Yehuda Shain, “using a bird for kapparot is a desecration of the name of the Creator, which is not forgiven on Yom Kippur. It cannot be that God-fearing Jews contribute to the abuse and starvation of chickens in terrible crowds.”

Supporters of the custom were RAMO, which was based on the tradition of Ashkenazi Jews coming from ROSH. ARIZAL was also a supporter of this custom. Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, wrote in his commentary “Shulchan Aruch HaRav” (505,2) that the custom itself is correct, but looking for a white bird is superstition.

For all the importance of animal care, it is also important to remember the proportions. Their suffering should worry us not only in the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. One would like to hope that organizations fighting for animal rights do it sincerely, and not as some kind of anti-religious step. Unfortunately, I don’t recall any public actions directed against non-kosher restaurants offering seafood, in which for example crayfish and crustaceans are cooked alive (and they are also living beings).

May God bless us all to do this kind of spiritual work that will allow us to successfully pass Yom Kippur.

Author: Asher Rohberger (Israel).