Kapparot Kapparot

The night before Yom Kippur begins, there is a service called Slichot in which you ask individuals for forgiveness. Like all services, there was one held at the Kotel, the Western Wall.

On a normal day, the Kotel is crowded. There are the tourists who are seeing the Kotel for the first time. There are residents who are praying for a loved one. There are religious clans who are trying to complete the rest of the afternoon service in peace without tourists pushing them out of the way. Everyone is there for something different, whether its praying or awing. No matter who you are, though, there is a separation between men and women.

On this day, however, thousands of Jews flocked towards the Kotel at 11:30 at night. It was controlled in such a way that there was one way in and one way out. No other quarter was opened and all the shuks and restaurants were closed. Except for the ones in the Jewish quarter because Jews are always hungry. Throughout the main streets of Jerusalem and in the Old City, people were yelling "Kapparot, Kapparot" and chickens resided on the tables. Kipparot, which comes from the word "Kippur," means atonement. Tradition says to swing the chicken (or you can choose to use coins) around your head three times in order to rid of all sins. I did this unknowingly when I was stopped on the street and asked to give money to the poor. The rabbi said a blessing and swung the money around me three times.

I eventually made it down to the Kotel. For those who have been to there, there was no room to move from the beginning of the stairway/Menorah, but after pushing my way through, I made it to a spot where I could see and hear. There was a screen and a microphone so the prayers could be audible, but not understandable. In front of the Kotel were thousands of Jews praying to be absolved of their sins. I could literally see the black and white wave of shuckling (moving the body as one prays). I didn't know the people next to me or the people in front of me. But we were all Jews, American, Russian, Israeli. Secular, religious, ultra-orthodox. Together, we were at one of the most holy sites in the world and to be apart of it is just indescribable. This is why I love Israel. This is why I made Aliyah. Thousands of Jews together in one place all asking G-d for one thing. It is here that am proud to be Jewish.

For Yom Kippur, I went to a Sephardic synagogue. Besides some of the differences in the tunes, the only real difference from an Ashkenazic service were some of the prayers. However, some of the prayers that I did not recognize, I have come to like. Another difference that I keep seeing year after year is that there is more enthusiasm in the prayers. There may be a few pages of mumbling (that's where I usually kept getting lost), but as soon as a big song starts, the whole congregation puts their whole heart into it and belts it out so that the notes echo off the walls and can be heard from a few blocks away. And because there are four synagogues in the square, each prayer can be heard sequentially thus a continuation of prayers and notes are carried throughout the town.

Definitions

A while back, I read an article that said that Rosh Hashannah conists of just as much praying as it does eating. However, it depends on where in the world you are and what denomination of Judaism you are.

In the United States, Rosh Hashannah consists of going to synagogue, eating, and seeing family. If I am in the US during the holiday, my family goes to Erev Rosh Hashanna services and then eats a dinner of sweet foods to bring in the new year. The next two days are going to synagogue, eating a big lunch, and then seeing cousins. If Rosh Hashannah falls on a weekday, I take the day off from school and make up the work later. For, while I am observing the Jewish holiday, the rest of the world is going on about their business.

In Israel, my experience has been different every time. This time, I went to someone's house for the evening meal. Like last year, there was a small seder to bless certain foods such as pomegranate seeds, dates, and peas. However, unlike last year, the family said the prayers, ate, and moved onto the next blessing before everyone had received their share. The next morning, I went to services at an orthodox Sephardic synagogue. The lady I sat next to knew immediately that I was not a native because it took me two tries to get the right Machzor (prayer book used to Rosh Hashannah) and still did not succeed. So, she let me look on with her. Afterwards, I went on a hike at Ben Guvrin where there are multiple Byzantic caves to walk through. That night, there was no big meal and no family came over, which was very different for me. The next day, I went to the adventure park right outside Ramat Gan.

I am struggling with this, though. I did not feel this way when I went to the caves. Obviously G-d did not strike me down for not going to synagogue, but I felt like something was missing from the day. Maybe it's because I wasn't with my family. Or maybe because it didn't feel like Rosh Hashannah for me. There were families having barbecues in the park and cars filled the highway, but for me, this was just like Shabbat. I think part of it is that I have a certain expectation about Rosh Hashannah and certain prayers that I look forward to on this holiday. However, maybe because that was not fulfilled the feeling that something was missing evolved.

I hope to find that missing piece on Yom Kippur.

For now, here are some pictures