Personhood, Property, and Orthodox Jews Swinging Chickens
In the pre-Rosh Hashanah ritual of kapparot, some worshipers swing live chickens around their heads, "symbolically transfer[ring] their sins to the animals, which are then slaughtered." The birds are clearly treated as property (they're even valued by their weight). "At the same time, the chicken is used as a substitute for a human person, even if only metaphorically and temporarily." Big Questions Online 08/20/10

Posted August 25, 2010 09:41 PM