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From: teitz@aecom.UUCP (Eliyahu Teitz)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Response to Eliyahu Teitz - Chicken Sacrifices
Message-ID: <2315@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Mar-86 16:45:38 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.2315
Posted: Tue Mar 11 16:45:38 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 06:19:40 EST
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Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
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Xref: lsuc net.religion:756 net.religion.jewish:1892

> You ask where I got my information about orthodox jews making a symbolic
> blood sacrifice with a chicken - because both the Talmud and the Torah say
> 'without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin' and about their
> identifying the priestly line through family records.
> 
> I spoke to a Jew who claims to have seen the papers being used to establish
> the Levitical line from the family records.  He also told me of the sacrifices.
> Afterward, the chicken is given to charity.
> 


	I thought this iswhat you were  refering to. Let me  explain. 
 	Before  Yom Kippur it is customary ( in some circles ) to say
 a prayer called Kaparot ( forgivenessess, for lack of a better word ).
 In the timewhen theTemple stood in Jerusalem sacrifices were offered.
 There were many types  of sacrifice. One was the  sin offering. It was
 given when a person transgressed  a sin whose punishment, if  thesin was
 done intentionally, was heavenly excomunication. There were other types
 of offerings brought when  a person transgressed. When a person brought
 his sacrifice he had to admit publicly to the sin he commited. This
 admission was part of the repentence process. The person bringing the
 sacrifice was supposed to see theanimal as taking his place and being
 killed in his stead.

	When the temple was destroyed, sacrifce ended. The rabbis instituted
 prayer in place of animal sacrifice. They based this on an interpretation
 ofa verse.

	Before Yom Kippur, somepeople have the  custom of saying kaparot, as I
 said before. Theytakea chicken andswing  it over their heads and say that
 this chicken should be killed and that they should be  spared. The  chicken
 is then killed in the usual Jewish way, thereby  making it permissible to
 be eaten. Somepeople have the custom of giving this chicken to the needy.

	I don't think  too  many people take this to seriously be a sacrifice.
 Or that there can be no forgiveness  without blood. The chicken is not even
 killed as part of the ceremony. It is only swung over the head three times.

	As for family trees. Many people have family trees. Some  people have
 extensive family trees. Since no one  can prove the accuracy of  his or
 her family tree to date back 2000  years, these family trees really don't
 have much validity when it comes to associating a person with  any given
 tribe. Most of the laws which apply to Levites and Priests don't apply now
 and will only apply when the  Temple is rebuilt. When this happens, Eliyahu
 the prophet, will straighten out everyone's family tree. I don't know how
 he'll do it but I'll worry about it when he comes.


> You stole my Rabbi story!  Only mine went:  after G-d (out of respect to your
> sensibilities) stated who was right there was a hushed silence and the head 
> rabbi said, "We'll vote on it!"
> 


	My story appears in the Talmud, with the ending  that I gave.



				Eliyahu Teitz.