Kapparot with Magen Avot

There is a widespread Jewish custom known as Kapparot, in which chickens are raised above one’s head and a prayer is recited. The idea is that if one is deserving of harsh punishment, it should be transferred to the chicken instead, which is then slaughtered. Kapparot are performed between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and the Arizal (Sha’ar HaKavanot) writes that the ideal time is to do it on the eve of Yom Kippur before daybreak. Interestingly, the Shulhan Aruch (O.H. 605:1) says that this custom should be abandoned as it may have idolatrous roots, yet it is still a widely accepted custom.

It is written that if the cost of providing one chicken per household member is prohibitive, one may purchase one for the male members and one for the female members. In Sefrou, Morocco, due to the high number of chickens being slaughtered for the Kapparot, there were questions raised about the Halachic validity of the slaughter. As such, the rabbis of that city decreed that each family was entitled to only one male and one female bird. Furthermore, if one does not have access to chickens or the chickens are not treated properly or are thrown out, one may recite the Kapparot prayer over money and then give it to charity.