Kaparot

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Kaparot is one of the most solemn observances of the Days of Awe. In the early morning hours of the day before Yom Kippur, we take a rooster (for a man) or a hen (for a woman) and, circling it above our heads, say three times: “This is my exchange, this is in my stead, this is my kaparah (atonement); this rooster shall go to its death, and I shall go on to good, long life and peace.”