"There are those who say one should not say it [the blessing on new things, Shehehianu] on shoes or clothing made from animals' leather, because another animal needed to die before it was turned into a new garment, as it is written, 'His mercy is upon all His works' (Psalms 145:9)." - Rabbi Moses Isserles (Rama’) on Shulhan ‘Arukh OH 223:6
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Kapparos is a Jewish religious practice originating in the medieval times where on the day before Yom Kippur 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 person participating in the ritual, and the chicken is supposed to be given to the poor as charity.
Despite only a small fraction of members of the Jewish faith practicing the ritual using live chickens, each year thousands of chickens are kept in harsh and torturous conditions waiting to be used for kapparos. 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. However, none of this cruelty is necessary because the ritual can also be performed using coins instead of a chicken and then donating the money. We encourage reframing the custom and turning it into a life-giving, rather than a life-taking custom by donating the money from your kapparos to an animal-advocacy organization and going into Yom Kippur with a mindset of compassion. We have attached two texts to use and to provide to anyone wishing to perform this ritual.
"I used to use chickens, but it made a mess in the home and sometimes it died on the way. It was not simple. Hence, I did hataras nedarim and began with using money. Giving money is preferable anyway, since it is not dirty, and we eliminate the issue brought up by the Ben Ish Chai, that a chicken sees the other being slaughtered and becomes fearful and its lung collapses." - Rabbi Meir Mazuz Sign up for Jewish Veg's Kaporos Action Committee in NYC to protest kaporos and express that participating in it is not a Jewish value.Relevant Articles and VideosA Brief History of a Fowl Custom
By Rabbi Shlomo M. Brody Talmudic scholars have never agreed on the pre-Yom Kippur chicken sacrifice read more> My Opinion on Kaparos With a Chicken (Don’t Do It) By Rabbi Eliyahu Fink Rabbi Fink explores various reasons to no longer use chickens for kapparot read more> A Plea Against the Custom of Kapparot By Rabbi Yonah Bookstein Rabbi Bookstein an Orthodox Rabbi in Los Angeles, pleads with the Jewish community to stop using chickens for the kapparot ritual. He says using chickens for kapparot violates four different Torah laws: tzaar ba’alei hayyim, creating nevailah, ba’al tashchit, and dina d’malchuta dina read more> A Yom Kippur of Mercy or Cruelty? By Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz Bringing an End to Kaporos! read more> United Poultry Concerns’ Campaign to End Chicken Kaporos By Karen Davis, PhD Read the report written as a contribution to The National Museum of Animals & Society read more> The Non-Jewish Origin of Kapparot By Dr. Israel Drazin read here> 3 Very Religious Reasons To End The Barbaric Practice Of Kapparot With Live Chickens By Rabbi Haim Ovadia read here> Rabbi Shlomo Aviner calls on Jews to use money instead of chickens for Kaparot
The campaign to end chickens as Kapparos in Los Angeles Brooklyn Investigation |
Orthodox rabbis who have come out in opposition to the practice of chicken Kapparos
Rabba Dr. Carmella Abraham
Rabbi Yosef Adler Rabbi Joshua Ahrens Rabbi Dr. Marc Angel Rabbi Daniel Askenazi Rabbi Shlomo Aviner Rabbi Michael Balinsky Rabbanit Nechama Barash Rabbi David S. Bauman Rabbi Joseph Beyda Rabbi Yitzchak Blau Rabbi Yosef Blau Rabbi Aviad Bodner Rabbi Yonah Bookstein Rabbi Shlomo M. Brody Rabbi Ira Budow Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo Rabbi Yuval Cherlow Rabbi Michael Chernick Rabbi Max Davis Rabbi Barry Dolinger Rabbi Chaim Dovrat Rabbi Dr. Reb Mimi Feigelson Rabbi Roy Feldman Rabbi Eliyahu Fink Rabbi Eliezer Finkelman Rabbi Aaron Frank Rabbi Avidan Freedman Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman Rabbi Daniel Geretz Rabbi Yonassan Gershom Rabbi Jeremy Gimpel Rabbi Steve Golden Rabbi Daniel Goodman Rabbi Dr. Mel Gottlieb Rabbi Stu Grant Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg Rabbi Donn Gross Rabbanit Goldie Guy Rabbanit Sharona Halickman Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy Rabbi Ari Hart Rabbi Benjamin Hassan Rabbi Dr. Henry Hasson Rabbi Tyson Herberger Rabbi Avram Herzog Rabbi Dr. Richard Hidary Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch Rabbi David Jacobowitz Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe Rabbi David Jaffe Rabbi Shaul Judelman Rabbi David Kalb Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky Rabbi Ysoscher Katz Rabbi Tzvi Koren Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn Rabbi Gabriel Kretzmer-Seed Rabbi Daniel Landes Rabbi Michael Langer Rabbi Steven Langnas Rabbi Dr. Samuel Lebens Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz Rabbi Aryeh A. Leifert Rabbi Hayim Leiter Rabbi Aaron Levy Rabbi Yamin Levy Rabbi Dov Linzer Rabbi Dr. Martin Lockshin Rabbi Yehoshua Looks Rabbi Haskel Lookstein Rabbi Asher Lopatin Rabbi Moshe Mayor Rav Meir Mazuz Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse Rabbi Jair Melchior Rabbi Michael Melchior Rabbi Avram Mlotek Rosh Kehillah Dina Najman Rabbi Yonatan Neril Rabbi Haim Ovadia Rabbi Dr. Joseph Ozarowski Rabbi Dani Passow Rabbi Dr. Ariel Picard Rabbi Yossi Pollak Rabbi Aaron Potok Rabbi Avi Poupko Rabbi Sam Reinstein Rabbi Dr. David Rosen Rabbi Shlomo Segal Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller Rabba Dr. Anat Sharbat Rabbi Jay Shoulson Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein Rabbi David Stav Rabbi Michael Stein Rabbi Chaim Strauchler Rabbi Nahum Twersky Rabbi Vaisrub Rabbi Devin Villarreal Rabbi Avi Weiss Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz Rabbi Dr. Alan J. Yuter Rabbi Lawrence Zierler | ||||||||
