Siman 605

The custom of kapparot, in which it is customary to slaughter a rooster for every male child and a hen for every female—several great authorities are not pleased with this. The Ramban and the Rashba, of blessed memory, abolished this custom because of divination and because of the ways of the Amorites, as is written in the responsa of the Rashba (495, and see the Beit Yosef). Therefore, our teacher, the Beit Yosef, wrote that one should prevent the custom.

However, several great authorities upheld the custom, and this is also found in the Responsa of the Geonim. And also in Rashi, Shabbat (81b), he cited from the Responsa of the Geonim that they would perform kapparot with seeds, and on the eve of Rosh Hashanah they would circle them around the head and say: "This is my replacement," see there. But the Tur cited that they would perform it with roosters and with rams, and on the eve of Yom Kippur.

This is the wording of our teacher, the Rema: There are some of the Geonim who wrote of this custom. And so too many of the Acharonim wrote of it, and so we practice in all these lands. One should not change it, for it is a custom of the meticulous. It is the practice to take a male rooster for a male, and for a female one takes a hen. For a pregnant woman, they take two fowl, perhaps she will give birth to a male. And they choose white fowl according to that which is stated: "If your sins be like scarlet – they shall become white as snow." And they practiced giving the kapparot to the poor, or to redeem them with money that they give to the poor. There are places where they practice going to the graves, and increasing in charity, and it is all a beautiful custom. One should perform the shechitah of the kapparot immediately after he has circled it around himself, and he leans his hands upon it in the manner of a sacrifice, and they throw their innards upon the roofs or in the courtyard, a place from which the birds can take them. Thus far his words.

And in which matters did the great authorities express hesitation? Specifically regarding seeking out white ones, for this is like the ways of the Amorites, who would search for a white rooster, as is found in the chapter "Before their festivals" (14a). Therefore, one should not seek out a white one, but if it happens to come to hand, he may buy it (Magen Avraham subsection 3, and Bach). And also, one should not take turtledoves or young pigeons that are fit for sacrifice, so that it does not appear like a sacrifice (ibid.). And similarly, regarding what he wrote to lean his hands—one should not do so, as it appears like the leaning of hands on sacrifices. And even though roosters are not fit for sacrifice—nevertheless, it is no less than "this meat is for Pesach," which is forbidden, and how could we do so initially? Therefore, one should not do so (Taz subsection 3). And the reason for throwing the intestines to the birds—is in order to have mercy on the creatures, and also from Heaven they shall have mercy upon us. And they wrote that it is good to slaughter at the morning watch, which is a time of mercy, and they should say: "This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement"—the acronym of which is Chatach, after the name of "He who decrees life for every living thing." And the matter is that if death was decreed, Heaven forbid—this shall be my substitute. (And in my opinion, it would have been more appropriate to say "this is in my stead," and not the language of "substitute," for both of them remain in their sanctity, see Temurah 26b, and examine it and you will find it simple.)

And all this is regarding the essence of the matter. But due to our many sins, we see the corruption in shechitah from the multitude of kapparot, from the pressure and the stress. And the shochatim do not supervise because of the exhaustion and the burden, and many terefot have emerged from under their hands. And also the knife—it is impossible for it to be checked properly. And also the hands of the shochet are heavy. And now in this time—it is a mitzvah and an obligation to reduce them, and not to enter the holy day with a concern regarding shechitah. And they already exerted effort in the generations before us to abolish them, and they did not succeed, for the masses are attached to this like the mitzvah of the etrog and even more so. And at the very least, to see to it to begin their shechitah several days beforehand, and to avoid the early morning watch, for the hands of the shochet are heavy then.