Psychology

Did you know that Judaism religion has very unique religious practices According to the American Jewish Committee, (2005), Judaism is a religion which is practiced by the Jews. It is strongly rooted in Israel, the United States, United Kingdom and Ethiopia. The people in the world need to appreciate all the religions and the practices they have, as they are a unification factor to the various groups. Reid, (2008) states that there has to be a place for appreciating other religious beliefs but not destroying or criticizing them. He states that no one has a right to subvert the fundamental principles of the Jews or criticize their places of worship. This paper seeks to discuss the kaparot festival of the Jews as a multicultural issue.

The kaparot multicultural experience
It started as a mere visit, and ended up to a wholesome experience that I will never forget. It was on a fine afternoon when I went to visit my friend whom I had not seen for a long time. After eating a well cooked meal, he showed me around his home. What caught my attention was a poultry house which had thousands of chickens. It was disheartening to learn that the poor creatures had not eaten or drunk water for many days. I really wondered why my friend, whom I considered to be sensitive on the rights of animals had to do this.

The answer he gave me of the most shocking thing I have ever had in my life. He explained to me that they were requirements for the religion that he practiced, and he was convinced that starving the birds was not wrong. He invited me to a festival where the birds would be of a great importance. According to him, he made good profits from the birds during the festival, as he sold them to the members of his religious group. I have never been so expectant in life. I was eagerly waiting to see what he all meant, as most of what he was saying seemed to me as sheer confusion.

The experience I had was that of attending the Jewish religious event known as kaparot. It is a religious ritual of the traditional Jews which occurs in the High Holidays. Normally, a live chicken is grasped by the shoulder blades. Afterwards, the chicken is moved around ones head for only three times. This action is symbolic, as it is believed that there is a transfer of sins to ones chicken. When the ritual is over, all the chicken are slaughtered and given to the poor people. The chickens are eaten at a festival known as pre_Yom Kippur. Before the ritual is performed, the book of Job 3323-24 and Psalms 10717-20 is read. Incase there are no chickens in a certain society other birds can be used as substitutes. Some communities have even used fish to act as substitutes (Truth for Saints, 2010).

The kaparot custom started during the Gaonic period. In more complex terms, it is referred to as the Rosh Hashanah  Yom Kippur. It is included in the Jewish law, which even shows those rabbis (teachers of the law) who supported it and those who did not (Chabad, 2010).The kaparot ritual assumes that the sins of the person are transferred to the chickens which are being sacrificed. Therefore, the chickens die for the sins of the people. In this way, the person becomes fully cleansed (Rozovsky, 2010).

In most cases, it is performed after the morning before the Yom Kippur ceremony. Ordinarily, white roosters or hens are used for the ceremony. A prayer is recited when swinging the chickens, which states, This is my exchange, this is my substitute, and this is my atonement. This chicken will go to its death while I will enter and proceed to a good long life and peace (Katz, 2010). The Orthodox Jews are the ones who use chickens for their ceremony. Contemporary Jews have started using cash instead of the money. They wave the money which is usually wrapped in a white napkin, as they recite the words in their prayer. This is however not encouraged, as it is not an original custom (Katz, 2010).

In 2005, over two hundred caged chickens were left in the rain as a part of the kaparot ritual in Brooklyn. As a result, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came to the rescue of these chickens. So serious was the incident that an Orthodox Jew was charged with high level of cruelty to animals, and the death of thirty five of the chicken. In response to this incident and others, organizations which fight for the rights of animals have started to observe kaparot publicly (Truth for Saints, 2010).

For example, in Jerusalem, members of an organization known as Let the Animals Live (LAL) tried to convince a Jewish leader called Rabbi Ovadia Yosef to call off the practice of the Judaism followers, the kaparot. Instead, he was advised to order the followers to give all the chickens to the poor without subjecting them to torture. However, these talks did not bear fruits. According to Rabbi Joseph, his concern was whether all protocol was observed during the ceremony, and not on the dangers that the chickens were exposed to. He explained that he had no right or authority of stopping such kind of an activity because it has been there since time immemorial (Sela, 2007).

In another instance, the practice of sacrificing chickens was discouraged by the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The organization tried to distribute dollar bills which had the shape of chicken. This also did not stop the Jews from sacrificing chicken in their kaparot sacrifice (Nussbaum, 2009).

My preconceived notions were indeed changed
Previously, I had a low perception of the religious traditions that have complex rituals. I often associated them with cults which were only present so as to pass time, and misguide the people. When my friend told me to attend the ceremony, I was almost declining. However, I did not want to hurt his feelings, bearing in mind that we studied the same course at school. According to me, the sins of mankind were forgiven when Jehovah, the God of the Christians sent his only beloved son, Jesus. From the point Jesus was crucified, I no longer needed to offer any kind of sacrifice. There was a contrast between the Jewish and my Christian religion.

The person I was when I entered the venue of the ceremony was completely different. The kaparot process made me realize that all people have what they value most. When I saw my friend swing his white rooster, I started believing that their sins were indeed forgiven. Young children were not left behind. Even though some of them cried, their parents still insisted on swinging the chickens round their heads on their behalf so that they could grow up as cleansed. My friend had brought one rooster for me, and I had to do the same so as not to be out of place. The commitment and the prayers of the people, and the spiritual connection that they had on the kaparot made all my previous notions to change. I even spotted one of my college tutors I loved most, deeply engrossed in her prayers. I was now more that convinced that it was not a cult, but a way of expression by the Jewish religious followers.

The followers in that ceremony were very serious, and some of them even shed tears. This was a sign of respect to their G_d (The letter o is omitted as a sign of respect for the Jews). According to Shaw, (1787), Judaism practices are very vital to them. The worship they give to their deities should be acceptable to them. It involves a lot of emotions and sentiments, as it is being offered to a very pure spirit. There has to be a great level of devotion from the people who are offering the sacrifice of worship.

I felt at home
The first thing which made feel at home was the fact that I was allowed to perform the kaparot even if I was not a Jew. That marveled me very much, bearing in mind that I was from a completely different religion. My friend even offered to give me a rooster for free. One lady welcomed me before the ceremony started and shared the impact it had on her and her family. The warmth I received made me think twice of the religion I was practicing previously. Though my religion also had very hospitable people, they were very few ceremonies like these which connected people together. I always supported anyone who gave to the poor in the society. I was moved by the fact that these chicken were given to the poor so that they could feed on them. To me, it was a double blessing, connecting to their God in spiritual terms while at the same time giving to the underprivileged in the society. I became confident that this was the religion I wanted to practice for the rest of my life. I felt a sense of spiritual fulfillment through the prayers we made.

A great impact
It is impossible for any human being to understand why some religious perform various practices until they realize the meaning. I realized that the kaparot was as important as any other religious practice in the world. This experience made me accept not only the Jewish religion, but also the other diverse religions of the world. According to Steinberg  Potter, (2007), it is very hard to understand why the Jews practice some rituals, like the kaparot, which involves meditation and contemplation. These practices are very important because they provide a sense of belonging to the person who is practicing them. Additionally, the people are able to accept communal life, which is a virtue. This is because love is created whenever the people come together in worship. According to the Jews, when one embraces all the holidays and seasons cycles, he or she is in line with the Spirit.

Additionally, I have learnt to appreciate the culture of various people in the world. This is because it brings a mutual understanding among the people. If the people could realize how religion is important to any group, then there would be no fights like the ones which are present in the world today. Religion is an aspect of culture therefore, all people should view the religion of others as equal to their own. According to Andrew, (2008), all people should be respectful and careful when they discuss the world religious faiths. They should not at any one time misinterpret the doctrines of a particular religion. All people of the various religions in the world were created by a supreme being so that they could live in harmony. They should therefore respect each other regardless of their different ways of worship.

As a result of my experience, I felt spiritually joined to the Jewish religion as I found it spiritually fulfilling. Together with my friend, we started a group which is meant to advocate for the freedom of expression for all religions in the U.S. This became our avenue of expressing the rights of all religions. According to our group, all religious practices should be practiced as long as they do not cause harm to the human being. Since the kaparot is all about sacrifice and giving, my desire for supporting charity grew even the more. I realized that I should not only give what I do not use, but I should give the best. Giving out the chicken is a very worthy thing to do because they are important sacrificial items. The same way, I should give the best to the poor so that I can receive blessings from G-d.

Conclusion
I owe the change that occurred to me to the Jewish religious system, which gave me a meaning of religion. Religion should not be viewed as an organization, but should be seen as an avenue where the people appreciate each other. Learning on all the aspects of culture helps a person to embrace a group, and ultimately make the world a better place to live in.