Re: flying poultry

[Jacob and Nancy Bloom <bloom...>]

As I understand it, when a chicken was used for the ritual of Kaparos, the
chicken would then be ritually slaughtered, and eaten by the family of the
person doing kaparos rather than given to the poor.  The idea was that the
death of the chicken, in a holy manner, would serve to redeem the penitent,
the way the scapegoat in the Azazel ritual would serve to redeem the people
Israel in the days of the Temple.  Later, the custom of using money which
would be given to charity as an atonement was introduced.

My father has told me of something that happened when he was a boy.  He and
a friend were shlogging kaparos together.  (There was someone who lived in
the apartment across the hall who would slaughter chickens for people doing
kaparos, but they were using money.)  After they both had whirled the money
around their heads and chanted "This is my atonement", the friend said,
"Come on, let's use the money to buy ice cream."

When my father objected that they were supposed to give the money to
charity, his friend replied, "You eat the chicken, don't you?"

Jacob

----- Original Message ----- >

> According to the Artscroll sidur (Ashkenazic version, p.772):
> There is an ancient custom to take a white rooster for males
> and a white hen for females on the day before Yom Kippur and perform
> the Kaparos [Atonement] ritual.  Money may be substituted for the
> fowl, and the ritual may be performed before Erev Yom Kippur if
> necessary.  It is most important to realize, however, that the
> atonement results from giving the bird (or its value) to the poor.
> Only that, as part of the repentance, gives meaning to the ceremony.
>
> In my family's custom, we take some money, tie it up in the corner of
> a handkerchief, and swing it around over our heads as a physical
> substitute for the chicken.  The money is then given to charity.  I
> don't know where swinging the bird or its substitute around over the
> head comes from, but it does help make the ceremony more dramatic by
> giving it a physical dimension, and therefore helps it to make a
> bigger impression.  I'm sure it helps children remember it better.
>
>
> L'shono toyve (May you be inscribed for a good year),
>
> Yosl (Joe) Kurland
> The Wholesale Klezmer Band
> Colrain, MA 01340
> voice/fax: 413-624-3204
> http://www.WholesaleKlezmer.com
>
>
> At 8:40 AM -0400 9/8/00, ALANEFALK (at) aol(dot)com wrote:
> >In a message dated 9/8/00 1:01:50 AM, winklerh (at) hotmail(dot)com writes:
> >
> ><< I know you can't believe everything on the net, so wanted to get some
> >opinions on the custom described below of throwing a hen and a rooster
over
> >the heads of a newly married couple(and what would the klezmorim have
played
> >for this ceremony?): >>
> >
> >(There are more learned folk out there who can explain this better).
> >The action in Yiddish is called "shlogging a kapores" - it was not just
used
> >in wedding ceromonies  (in fact, in some orthodox groups it's still in
use).
> >The act is to ward off evil spirits - The chicken (or rooster) is held by
> >it's feet above a persons head and spun around several times. I don't
believe
> >it has any religious (biblical) root, just Eastern European superstition.
> >Don't know about the music music? A klezmer version of 'The Chicken
Dance"!
> >
>
>

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+