What Is Kapparot?

Kapparot, meaning “atonements,” is a Jewish custom traditionally practiced in the days leading up to Yom Kippur.

The ceremony is intended to help us enter Yom Kippur with a heightened awareness of our actions, our mortality, our need for repentance, and our dependence on Divine mercy.

In the familiar form of the practice, a rooster or hen is held and passed around a person’s head while verses and a declaration are recited. The traditional declaration expresses the hope that the person will enter into a good, long life and peace.

Afterward, the chicken is traditionally slaughtered according to the laws of shechita and given to charity or its value is given to those in need.

But Kapparot is a custom, not a commandment found in the Torah or Talmud. Its practice has varied considerably across Jewish communities and throughout Jewish history.

And there has always been another way to perform Kapparot: With money given to charity.
 

The Meaning Behind Kapparot

Kapparot takes place at one of the most spiritually intense moments of the Jewish year.

Yom Kippur asks us to confront our actions and return to our highest selves.

The central Jewish work of this season is teshuvah, returning to God and to the person we are meant to become.

We pray.

We make amends.

We give tzedakah.

We ask forgiveness.

And we seek mercy.

Kapparot can serve as a powerful symbolic ritual within this process.

The ritual does not mean that our sins can literally be transferred to another being or that a ritual by itself provides atonement. Jewish teachings emphasize the work of repentance and returning to God. Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, for example, explains Kapparot as a practice intended to awaken a person to the seriousness of sin and motivate repentance and a plea for Divine mercy.

The question, then, is: What should we place at the center of this ritual?

An animal? Or an act of charity?
 

Kapparot With Charity

For centuries, Jewish communities have used money instead of a chicken for Kapparot.

This is not a new invention.

The Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 605, records the practice of redeeming Kapparot with money and giving that money to the poor. It also records places where people increased their charitable giving before Yom Kippur.

Later halachic guidance likewise explicitly describes redeeming the Kapparot with money and distributing the money to people in need.

Jewish sources also describe performing the entire ceremony with money, reciting the Kapparot passages and then giving the money to charity.

So there is a beautiful Jewish choice available to us: We can preserve the ritual while removing the animal from it.

Instead of holding a frightened chicken, we hold our certificate.

Instead of directing the ritual toward an animal’s death, we direct our resources toward charity.

Instead of asking another living being to symbolically carry our burdens, we take responsibility for our own actions and turn our money toward creating good.
 

Why Choose Charity Instead of a Chicken?

1. Because Kapparot Is About Teshuvah, Not Sacrificing an Animal

Kapparot is not a sacrifice. There is no Temple sacrifice involved, and the custom itself is not a biblical commandment.

Indeed, Rabbi Joseph Karo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, expressed opposition to the chicken practice. Using money allows us to preserve the symbolic ritual while emphasizing its purpose: teshuvah, tzedakah, and spiritual transformation.

2. Because Jewish Tradition Commands Us to Show Compassion to Animals

The Jewish principle of Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim, the prohibition against causing unnecessary suffering to living creatures, is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.

Jewish sources repeatedly emphasize our responsibility to treat animals with compassion.

Even sources that support chicken Kapparot recognize this concern.

One traditional Kapparot guide emphasizes that chickens must be treated humanely and that causing them pain or discomfort is prohibited. It specifically connects compassion toward animals with the fact that Kapparot takes place immediately before the day on which we ask God for mercy.

That creates an important spiritual question: If we are asking God to have mercy on us, shouldn’t our own actions reflect mercy?

Kapparot with Charity allows us to answer that question with our actions.

3. Because Chickens Experience Fear and Suffering

A chicken used for Kapparot is not an abstract symbol.

It is a living, sentient being.

Traditional Kapparot involves holding the bird, moving it around a person’s head, transporting it, and ultimately slaughtering it. Sources describing the practice themselves recognize the importance of handling the animals carefully and avoiding unnecessary suffering.

For Jewish Vegan Life, this presents a profound ethical concern.

We believe that a ritual intended to cultivate repentance and compassion should not require an animal to experience fear or suffering.

We can perform the symbolism without requiring an animal to pay the price.

4. Because Charity Is Already at the Heart of Kapparot

This may be the most powerful reason to choose money.

The charitable dimension of Kapparot is not secondary.

Jewish sources explicitly describe giving the Kapparot to the poor or redeeming them with money and giving that money to those in need. The Shulchan Aruch even describes increasing charity before Yom Kippur as a beautiful custom.

So when we use money for Kapparot, we are not removing charity from the ritual. We are putting charity at its center.

The money that might otherwise purchase a chicken becomes the very substance of the charitable act.

5. Because Tzedakah Turns Symbolism Into Action

The Hebrew word tzedakah is commonly translated as charity, but it is connected to the idea of justice and righteousness.

Yom Kippur asks us not only to think differently, but to act differently.

A donation can become an immediate expression of that commitment.

With Kapparot With Charity, your donation supports Jewish Vegan Life’s work to:

• Educate Jewish communities about compassion for animals
• Create Jewish educational resources
• Build Jewish Vegan Life communities around the world
• Develop programming connecting Jewish values with compassionate living
• Empower Jewish leaders and community members
• Build a Jewish future rooted in rachamim and care for creation

Your Kapparot becomes more than a symbolic moment. It becomes an investment in the world you want to create.
 

Is Kapparot With Money Really Jewish?

Yes. The use of money for Kapparot is documented in Jewish sources.

The Shulchan Aruch records that Kapparot may be redeemed with money that is then given to the poor.

Later halachic commentary describes monetary redemption as preferable in certain circumstances.

Contemporary Jewish resources also explicitly describe money as an alternative to chickens and provide instructions for performing the ritual using money.

At the same time, Jewish communities differ in how they understand and practice Kapparot.

Some communities use chickens. Some use money. Some do not practice Kapparot at all.

Some rabbis have opposed the custom, while others have defended it as an established Jewish practice.

Jewish Vegan Life is offering Kapparot With Charity as a compassionate Jewish option for communities that wish to observe the custom without using an animal.
 

What Happens When You Choose Kapparot With Charity?

It is simple.

1. Make Your Kapparot Donation

Choose the amount that feels meaningful to you. The amounts are suggested giving levels. Choose one that furthers your intention behind your act of giving.

2. Receive Your Kapparot Guide

Immediately after your donation, you will receive the Jewish Vegan Life Kapparot Guide.

The guide provides everything you need to conduct Kapparot with your donation.

It includes:

• The introductory verses
• Hebrew text
• Transliteration
• English translation
• The declaration of substitution
• Instructions for the ceremony
• Instructions for performing Kapparot for yourself
• Wording for performing Kapparot for another person
• Male and female versions
• A plural version for families and groups

3. Receive Your 2026 Kapparot Certificate

You will also receive your:

Certificate of Kapparot With Charity
תעודת כפרות בצדקה
2026 | תשפ״ז

Your certificate is used during the Kapparot ceremony in place of an animal.

You can print it or display it on your phone.

4. Perform Your Kapparot

Before Yom Kippur, follow the Guide to perform the ceremony in your community or in your home, reciting the verses provided in the Guide.

As you perform the ritual, reflect on your actions during the past year.

What do you need to repair?

Who do you need to make peace with?

What kind of person do you want to become?

And what kind of world do you want your actions to help create?
 

Kapparot Is Not a Shortcut Around Teshuvah

This is essential to understand.

Kapparot does not magically erase our mistakes.

The ritual is not a substitute for repentance.

It is not a substitute for apologizing to someone we have hurt.

It is not a substitute for repairing the damage we have caused.

And it is not a substitute for the central spiritual work of Yom Kippur.

Rather, Kapparot can serve as a symbolic reminder of our mortality, our responsibility, and our need for teshuvah and Divine mercy.

The money we give does not “buy” forgiveness. Our actions matter. Our repentance matters. Our relationships matter. Our commitment to change matters.

And our tzedakah can become part of that transformation.
 

A Kapparot Practice for a Compassionate Jewish Future

Jewish tradition has never been static.

Practices have developed, changed, and been debated across generations and communities.

Kapparot itself is an example.

The practice has taken different forms over time, including the use of different objects and eventually chickens, and monetary Kapparot remains an established alternative.

We believe that Jewish tradition gives us the ability to ask an important question: How can we carry our traditions forward while bringing them into greater alignment with our deepest Jewish values?

The answer is Kapparot With Charity.

A practice that honors tradition. A practice that centers tzedakah. A practice that cultivates rachamim. A practice that avoids placing an animal’s suffering at the center of our spiritual preparation. A practice that allows Jewish communities everywhere to participate.
 

Bring Kapparot With Charity to Your Community

You do not need to be vegan to participate.

You do not need to belong to a particular denomination.

You do not need to live in Israel.

You can participate anywhere in the world.

• Individuals: Perform Kapparot privately as part of your preparation for Yom Kippur.
• Families: Perform the ceremony together and use it as an opportunity to teach children about tzedakah and compassion.
• Synagogues: Share the Guide with your congregation and offer Kapparot With Charity as a communal option.
• Jewish Organizations: Use the resource in your High Holiday programming and educational initiatives.
• Rabbis and Jewish Educators: Use the Guide as a resource for discussing the meaning, history, ethics, and evolution of Kapparot.
• Jewish Communities Around the World: Gather before Yom Kippur and perform Kapparot together, without requiring a single animal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Kapparot required by the Torah?

No. Kapparot is a Jewish custom that developed after the biblical and Talmudic periods. It is not a commandment found in the Torah or Talmud. Jewish authorities have differed over the custom itself.

Does Kapparot have to be done with a chicken?

No. Jewish sources document the use of money as an alternative. The Shulchan Aruch specifically records redeeming Kapparot with money and giving it to the poor.

Is Kapparot With Charity a new practice?

No. Performing Kapparot with money and giving the money to charity is documented in Jewish sources.

Why does Jewish Vegan Life prefer charity?

Because a spiritual practice centered on teshuvah, tzedakah, and rachamim should express compassion toward animals rather than requiring an animal to experience fear, handling, and death.

Does my donation go to charity?

Yes. Your donation supports Jewish Vegan Life, a nonprofit movement dedicated to building Jewish communities and education around compassion, animals, and plant based living.

Can I perform Kapparot for someone else?

Yes. The Guide includes specific wording for performing Kapparot on behalf of another person, including male, female, and plural versions.

Can my whole family participate?

Yes. The Guide includes a plural version for performing Kapparot for multiple people or an entire family using a single pool of money.

What if I already practice Kapparot with chickens?

We respect the diversity of Jewish practice, and urge you to consider this compassionate alternative. Our goal is to provide another Jewish option for those who wish to preserve the ritual while avoiding the use of animals.

Do I need to be vegan?

No. Kapparot With Charity is open to anyone who wishes to explore this compassionate Jewish practice.
 

This Yom Kippur, Let Your Kapparot Become an Act of Compassion

The days before Yom Kippur invite us to pause.

To reflect.

To return.

To repair.

To give.

To ask for mercy.

And to become more merciful ourselves.

We can preserve the ritual.

We can honor the tradition.

We can give tzedakah.

And we can choose compassion.

Perform Kapparot With Charity

Choose your donation and receive your Kapparot Guide and 2026 Certificate.

גמר חתימה טובה

Gmar Chatimah Tovah

May you be sealed in the Book of Life, Health, and Peace.