Kaparot History

It is a custom to perform the rite of Kaparot between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. However, the preferred time is just after dawn of Erev Yom Kippur. Chickens were chosen because the Hebrew word, ‘kaparot’, means both man and rooster. A rooster is taken for a male, and a hen for a female. A pregnant woman uses two hens – one for herself and one in case she is carrying a female child – and one rooster, in case she is carrying a male. The fowl is taken in one’s right hand, and the appropriate verses in the prayer-book are recited. The fowl is then waved about one’s head three times (during the waving, the right hand is placed on the fowl’s head, and the fowl is held by the left hand) as the prescribed recitation is said. The chicken is later slaughtered (symbolizing the concept that a sinner deserves to give up his soul for not having used it to do G-d’s will) and either the chicken or its cash value is given to the poor, for charity is an indispensable part of repentance, and the combination of the two can achieve atonement.