An historic rabbinic declaration to the public about participation in the mass “Kapporos” ceremonies that have become popular in some communities over recent years is about to be released, according to sources close to several of the Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva who have been involved in drafting the document.
The Kol Koreh is expected to focus on a number of problems that have become apparent in the public fulfillment of the minhag of Kapporos before Yom Kippur.
As YW reported (HERE) several weeks ago, a group of esteemed Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim from across the Torah community spectrum met in the Novominsk beis medrash in Borough Park to discuss the issue. Concerns voiced at the meeting included the performance of the shechitos themselves, the possibility of infections from improper handling of the chickens, and the possible compromising of the prohibition of tzaar baalei chaim – causing unnecessary discomfort or pain to animals – that might result from the volume of birds being processed over short periods of time in an unregulated public venue.
According to the sources, the Kol Koreh will call for reliable hashgocha oversight of kapporos-centers and call on the entire tzibbur to patronize only those centers that have accepted such oversight.
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13 Responses
I agree there should be guidelines. The treatment of the chickens at Kaporos Shlogen is disgusting never mind an issur.
Good news, although I suspect that many will be grumpy about the fact that it was PETA’s (spit three times) Kol Koreh that seem to have jumpstarted this one.
Halomed MiKol Adam…
I smell a price hike in the price of kaporos this year. Whenever a ‘Vaad’ is set up, it somehow ends up hurting the consumer more than the helping them.
#2, it predates peta. The Rabbonim were discussing this earlier.
I dont have a problem with this however we need to remember this was influenced by peta yemach sh’mom v’zichrom. Dont be tricked by their maaser on salt questions… they want to eliminate sh’chita and the consumption of meat/chicken in general.
“According to the sources, the Kol Koreh will call for reliable hashgocha oversight of kapporos-centers and call on the entire tzibbur to patronize only those centers that have accepted such oversight.”
I’m pretty surprised to learn that until now, there was no ‘reliable hashgocha oversight’ at any of the places conducting the shchita.
Any place I’ve ever been to had what seemed like an experienced shoichet doing the kapparos.
Isn’t the second half of the minhag to donate the chickens to the aniyay yisrael so they can have chickens for yomtov? I sure hope they weren’t receiving treif chickens to be eaten on Rosh Hashana, that would be a whole lot worse than anything PETA could do.
you can always do kapparos on $$$$ and add a little more this year and give the $$ to aniyim. Kapparos doesnt have to be a business.
PETA is not going to dictate what our minhagim should be. True, there is a lot of room for improvment in the Kappara “industry” – but we can’t let these PETA start with us because – Chas V’shalom – they will want to regulate shechita, etc.
The Rabbonim should wait a year or 2 & then make Takknos, so it doesn’t look we are caving in to these people.
#6, “I’m pretty surprised to learn that until now, there was no ‘reliable hashgocha oversight’ at any of the places conducting the shchita.
Any place I’ve ever been to had what seemed like an experienced shoichet doing the kapparos.”
Just because there’s a reliable shoichet doing the shchita, doesn’t mean there aren’t other problems like tsar baalei chaim. The shoichet can’t be everywhere at once. Also, the absence of a mashgiach doesn’t automatically make it a hefker velt, but there could still be problems. Furthermore, you haven’t been everywhere, so the fact that you never witnessed any problems doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The (potential) problems aren’t new; the poskim speak about this in hilchos Yom Kippur, as well as in hilchos shchita.
#10 – How will this new vaad that was created stop “potential” tzar baalei chayim? Will they be asking PETA to come in and observe?
Also, you write “but there can still be problems…” In life, everything can be done the right way or the wrong way. No amount of vaads coming from rabbonim meeting in Novominsk will ever change that truth.
The sad reality is that most people think that klal yisrael needs this oversight in their everyday activities. I imagine that the next question asked in shidduchim is whether the bochur shlugs kapparos in a vaad approved shchita house or not!
As a manager of a Kapporos outlet out of town, let me tell you how meticulous one has to be when dealing with such a quantity of chickens. A reliable hashgocha should mean a Mashgiach Temidi because with so many chickens there is bound to be shailos. As far as the tzaar baalei chaim, that is completely up to the person “shlugging” if they beat the bird or not. These takkanos are not new, the Rabbonim are just letting people know haw to halachicly fullfill the mitzva. As for those who use money, Kol Hakovod, it is only a special touch to the minhag to use chickens because something should be a Kappara for your Nefesh
pi nistar: there is an additional dimension to tzar baalei chaim beside beating the birds…the pri megadim says that the awaiting birds watching the shechita of the other birds, causes them tsar…
#13 actually the practice in most kapparos outlets is to put the bird in a cage that it can’t see out of until it is ready for shchita. the other live birds don’t see because they are not in the same area as the shchita takes place.