Ceremony of Kapparot
 What
is kapparot? Kapparot
is a custom in which the sins of a person are symbolically
transferred to a fowl. It is practiced shortly before
Yom Kippur. First, selections from Isaiah 11:9,
Psalms 107:10, 14, and 17-21, and Job 33:23-24;
If
God ruled the world by strict justice, then every
time a person would do something purposely wrong,
a giant 100-ton weight would fall from the sky
and squash him. Fortunately for us, God also rules
by mercy and allows us to gain atonement.
One
of the methods of atonement is through the ritual
of Kaparot. This is done by taking a chicken,
or money, and waving it around your head three
times. The chicken is then slaughtered and given
to charity (as is the money if used in place of
the chicken).
While
swinging the chicken or the money, recite this
paragraph 3 times:
|
English |
This
is my exchange, this is my substitute,
this is my atonement.
Select [This
rooster is going to die]
or [This
money will go to charity],
but I am going to a good long life
and to peace. |
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Hebrew |
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Candle
Lighting
In
memory of parents who are deceased, special
candles that burn throughout Yom Kippur
are lit. Then the two holiday candles are
lit and blessed. This lighting signals the
beginning of Yom Kippur, which
means no eating
or drinking from this point.
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| First
Blessing |
| Phonetic
Hebrew |
Baruch
ata adonai elohaynu melech haolam,
asher keedshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu
l'hadleek ner shel (shabbat) yom hakeepureem. |
| English |
Blessed
are You Adonai, Eternal One, Who enables
us to welcome (shabbat) Yom Kippur
by kindling these lights |
|
| Second
Blessing |
| Phonetic
Hebrew |
Baruch
ata adonai elohaynu melech haolam,
shehehayanu, v'keeyomanu v'higeeyanu
laz'man hazeh. |
| English |
Blessed
are You Adonai, King of the universe,
Who has kept us alive, sustained us,
and encouraged us to observe this
day. |
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Blessings
the Children
Before leaving
for the Temple, it is custom to bless one's
children. These blessings that we give over
to our children, originates back to our great
forefathers blessings. |
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|
English |
May
G-d make you like
(for a boy)
Ephraim and Menasseh,
(for a girl)
like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel
and Leah.
May G-d bless you and safeguard you.
May G-d illuminate his countenance
for you and be gracious to you. May
G-d turn his countenance to you and
establish peace for you. |
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Observing
Yom Kippur
The
afternoon before Yom Kippur, it is a special good-deed
to eat a festive meal. Eating heartily on the
day before Yom Kippur. Enjoyment of this world
for right reasons is as spiritual as fasting.
Also pragmatic reason. Festive meal - hallah etc.
As
far as making your fast easier in general, try
to pace your intake throughout the previous day
by eating something every two hours. At the festive
meal itself, eat a moderate portion of food so
as not to speed up the digestion process. Also,
don't drink any coffee or coke, because caffeine
is a diuretic. Heavy coffee drinkers can also
avoid the dreaded headache by slowly reducing
the amount of coffee consumption over the week
leading up to Yom Kippur.
After
a meal we generally get thirstier, so when you
complete the festive meal, leave some extra time
before sundown to drink. Also, drinking lukewarm
water with some sugar in it can help make you
less thirsty during the fast.
1)
One may not wear shoes with leather.
2) One may not Apply oils or lotions to the skin.
3) To refrain from any sort of work as on Sabbath.
4) One may not wash his hands past his knuckles.
5) One may not have sexual intercourse on Yom
Kippur.
6) A fast day... the Yom Kippur fast begins at
sundown, and extends 25 hours until the following
nightfall.
In case of Illness
If
someone is ill or a women giving birth, and a
doctor is of the opinion that fasting might pose
a life-danger, then the patient should eat or
drink small amounts. The Doctor should decide
how much food the patient should have.
- Havdalah - wine, candle, no spices unless Yom
Kippur falls out on Sabbath.
The
commandments of Yom Kippur are designed to demonstrate
that our soul and our Body are parts of a single
integral unit that is inseparable. Our body behaves
in the same way as our soul. It neither eats or
drinks, or engages in intercourse or labor. It
sits the entire Yom Kippur in the synagogue, engaged
in prayer and basking in God's divine presence.
Integration
of the soul is called teshuva, which means "to
return" in Hebrew. Through teshuva we return
to ourselves. As long as we are ourselves there
is no need to return to God. We are already fully
united with His presence.
A
day of atonement can be a day of judgment after
all. Atonement allows the various parts of the
soul to integrate and return to each other once
again. When we succeed in this endeavor, the united
soul is automatically assured of being able to
pass judgment. Atonement, spiritual purity and
judgment really do fit together very well.
Repentance and Forgiveness
Following
the Golden Calf, Moses pleaded with God to forgive
the people. Finally on Yom Kippur, atonement was
achieved and Moses brought the second set of Tablets
down from Mount Sinai.
From
that day forward, every Yom Kippur has carried
with it a special power to cleanse the mistakes
of Jews (both individually and collectively) and
to wipe the slate clean. The Torah teaches us
that it is never too late to change.
The Annual Opportunity
Yom
Kippur is about stopping the "I can'ts"
and becoming an "I can" person. It is
the day when we cast away the mistakes that define
our limitations. On Yom Kippur, we affirm: "These
mistakes are not me. It was merely a temporary
lapse in judgment. I won't do it again. I can
achieve greater and bigger. I only have to try."
King
David tells us: "[God] opens His hand
and gives to all those who want" (Psalm
145:16). In truth, we can do whatever we want.
The only condition is that we have to "want."
If we don't want, then God cannot give.
Yom
Kippur is a time to return. A time to dream again
the wildest of dreams, and to plan their execution.
A time to rethink and regain our refreshing hope
in life.
Brainstorming Questions to Ponder
Question
1: If you were born today with no concept of failure,
what would you attempt to achieve?
Question
2: When
was the last time you developed a major new life
dream? Do you spend time thinking about new dreams?
Question 3: What
have been your biggest dreams and life goals?
How do you continue to nurture and pursue those
dreams now?
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