PETA members do not read....

The wait is over... The video of me swinging chicken is here!! But before pushing play, some back story.

Ever since I read the book "The Year of Living Biblically," by AJ Jacobs (his mission is to live the bible literally for a year--but you probbably were able to guess that from the title), I've wanted to take part in the ancient Jewish ritual of Kaparot. AJ Jacobs checks out this ritual in Crown Heights and paints a vivid picture, of chickens flying, prayers being chanted, and chaos. I thought to myself... if I could take part in this tradition in the holy city of Jerusalem, what an experience that would be.

According to wikipedia (my source for everything Jewish... I'm going to be an awesome Rabbi!) Kaparot is preformed by grasping the chicken and moving it around one's head three times, symbolically transferring one's sins to the chicken. Then it is slaughtered and donated to the poor to eat for the pre-Yom Kippur feast.

I decided when in Jerusalem do what Jerusalem-ites do and swing chickens... (though I think most Jerusalem-ites do not do this tradition and there has much opposition to this practice worldwide...) But unlike the parking lot (see a previous blog post) there was no one protesting Kaparot and I decided not to be a chicken (pun very much intended) and to do some swinging.

The site of Kaparot wasn't hard to find... as the stench of what soon will be be chicken parm and chicken cordon bleu was overwhelming. When I entered the courtyard, there were about 1,000 chickens ready to receive our sins. I found a chicken dealer, paid for my chicken, and after learning how to hold it (by the wings) started moving the chicken around in circles and saying some blessings that the chicken dealer gave me.

After feeling that all of my sins were gone (I behaved pretty well last year), I swung the chicken around my classmates and the chicken took their sins too. After five minutes, I was done... and went to the butcher, and told him that I would like to donate my sin-filled chicken to a needy family in Israel to eat prior to the holiday. And with one quick cut... my Kaparot experience was done.

And it was an experience... and a ritual that that I will probably never do again. Yet, after swinging the chicken and saying a couple of the prayers, I have to say I felt a bit lighter, more free, less sinful, and a bit more prepared to repent for my sins and missteps from the past year. (though this feeling may have been due to the stench of the Kaparot arena too.)

So you read the entire blog... Now push play. (A hint for when you watch the movie. Turn your computer and hold it like a Kindle then I'll be right side up.)



Ohh and I'm still trying to find a good "Why did the chicken cross the road..." Kaparot joke. If you got one let me know.

Be well,

ERBP