Kapparot, Teshuvah, and Kol Nidrei: What to Know Before Yom Kippur

The custom throughout Jewish communities is to perform Kapparot on the eve of Yom Kippur by taking a chicken for each member of the household and having it slaughtered. This custom has ancient roots and dates back to the period of the Geonim.

The chicken is passed around the person’s head while reciting: “This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement.” When performing Kapparot for someone else, one says: “This is your exchange, your substitute, your atonement.”

A person should think about teshuvah while performing Kapparot. He should reflect that what is being done to the bird would, in a symbolic sense, have been appropriate for him because of his sins, but through sincere repentance, Hashem forgives him.

Some have the custom of performing Kapparot with money instead. They take an amount equivalent to the cost of a chicken, circle the money above the head, and say: “This money will go to charity, and so and so will enter a good and peaceful life.”

Which Sins Does Yom Kippur Not Atone For?

Teshuvah and Yom Kippur bring atonement for sins between a person and Hashem. However, sins committed against another person, such as striking someone, insulting someone, or stealing from them, are not forgiven until the person makes restitution and obtains forgiveness from the one who was harmed.

Even if the victim never knew that something was stolen from them, the stolen property must still be returned, and the person must also seek forgiveness.

If someone hurt another person with words, they must appease them until they are forgiven. This is all the more true when someone humiliates another person publicly, which our Sages regard with extreme severity. A person must also be careful not to call someone by a name that causes them embarrassment.

Similarly, if someone physically injured another person or damaged their property, paying compensation alone is not enough. The person must also confess, repent, and sincerely resolve not to repeat the behavior.

It is not enough simply to add more good deeds in the hope of being inscribed in the Book of the Righteous, but we must also seek forgiveness for the past and return through teshuvah. A person who fails to make use of this opportunity bears a great responsibility.

One who truly repents out of love for Hashem receives immediate atonement for his sins. In Heaven, those sins are even regarded as though mitzvot had been performed in their place, and he is spared punishment and suffering. By contrast, when a person repents primarily out of fear of punishment, intentional sins are transformed into unintentional ones, and they still require atonement.

Kol Nidrei

Kol Nidrei is the prayer recited before the evening service on the night of Yom Kippur. It contains a declaration concerning the annulment of vows and oaths made by the congregation.

The prayer is recited in Aramaic, which was the spoken language of many Jews during the period in which it became established. Because it is recited at the very beginning of Yom Kippur, together with its deeply moving traditional melody in Ashkenazi communities, Kol Nidrei has become one of the most famous prayers and one of the most recognizable symbols of Yom Kippur.

Halacha emphasizes that Kol Nidrei, and the annulment of vows in general, does not cancel financial obligations or responsibilities owed to another person. Such obligations can only be addressed by asking forgiveness directly from the person who was harmed and, when necessary, compensating them for the loss.