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. |
|
Hebrew |
|
|
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.
|
|
 |
| 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. |
|
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. |
|
 |
|
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. |
|
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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