Kapparah
/kəˈpɑː.rə/noun
A ritual act of atonement, especially the pre–Yom Kippur practice of swinging money or a chicken over one’s head before charity or slaughter.
Did you know?The kapparot ritual is not described in the Hebrew Bible; it emerged in Jewish communities during the early medieval period and was later debated by rabbis.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
כפר (k-p-r)
“A root associated with covering, wiping away, or making atonement.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפֶּר (kipper)
“He made atonement or ritually purified; literally connected with the idea of covering or removing guilt.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפֻּרִים (kippurim)
“Atonements or acts of expiation, as in Yom ha-Kippurim, the Day of Atonement.”
Early Medieval Hebrew
Hebrew
כפרה (kapparah)
“Atonement, expiation, or a substitute used in a penitential rite.”
Middle Ages
Jewish ritual usage
kapparot
“A rite involving symbolic transfer of sins to money or, traditionally, a chicken before Yom Kippur.”
Modern English
English
kapparah
“A borrowed term for atonement or the kapparot ritual, also used in some Jewish communities as an affectionate expression meaning “my atonement” or “my dear.””