Thursday, September 9, 2021

Fwd: News From Agudas Yisroel 3 Tishrei 5782/September 9, 2021


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From: Agudath Israel of America <news@agudah.org>
Date: Thu, Sep 9, 2021, 4:38 PM
Subject: News From Agudas Yisroel 3 Tishrei 5782/September 9, 2021
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>


Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual.
September 9, 2021 - 3 Tishrei 5782
News from the Agudah:

  • This Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, as Klal Yisroel readies themselves for Yom Kippur, Agudath Israel is calling upon the community to exercise extreme care regarding the custom of Kapporos. This special practice needs to be conducted in a manner that will ensure there will be no chilul Hashem, chas v'shalom, before the Yomim Tovim. Please see below a Kol Korei that was issued about this practice.

  • The Commission on Torah Projects of Agudath Israel is delighted to present a four-part live broadcast on understanding Tefillos Yom Kippur, starting tonight, with Rabbi Yosef Elefant. See below for more details and how to join.

  • Today, the Yeshiva Services department presented a webinar to over 100 school leaders and admins from all over New York on the new COVID-19 guidelines for schools. They explained the most current guidance and answered questions from school leaders. For more information please email yeshivaservices@agudah.org.

Agudath Israel Reissues Kaporos Kol Korei
Reissuing a Rabbinic statement (Kol Korei) that was first published 14 years ago and that remains relevant today, Agudath Israel of America is calling upon the community to exercise care regarding the custom of kapporos before Yom Kippur. Given the size of the community, and the large volume of chickens that will be handled in the upcoming days, the practice of kapporos needs to be conducted in a manner that ensures that proper standards of kashrus, cleanliness, and humane treatment of animals, as defined by halacha, are met. This can be achieved by patronizing only those establishments that are under appropriate rabbinic supervision.
The Translation of the text is as follows:

To All Our Jewish Brethren, Hashem's Blessings Upon You!

As the y'mei ho'rachamim ve'hadin rapidly approach, and as Jews will soon be fulfilling the minhag of Kapporos during the Aseres Yimei Teshuva, we wish to emphasize the need for all public Kapporos centers to be under the exacting Hashgacha of a competent Rav Hamachshir to ensure that all aspects of this "minhag vasikin" (Rama, Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 605) are done properly in accordance with halacha.

Halachic authorities have long pointed out the need for special care to be taken during the Kapporos process that the chickens be slaughtered and processed properly, especially on Erev Yom Kippur, when many shochtim spend long hours shechting large volumes of chickens (as discussed in Mishneh Berurah, ibidse'if koton beis). A proper Hashgocha will oversee all aspects of kashrus throughout the entire process, including the proper handling of the chickens prior to shechita so as to avoid fractures or other defects that would render the chickens treif; the validity of the shechita itself, including the necessary periodic checking of the knife used for shechita; the post-shechita internal bedika; and the proper kashering of the chickens (soaking, salting and rinsing).

In addition to these kashrus matters, the Hashgocha will also ensure that all other relevant halachos are carefully adhered to throughout the Kapporos process, including such matters as health and safety concerns (both those that concern the wellbeing of those who handle the chickens, as well as those that concern the safety of the food); scrupulous compliance with the Torah's laws of tza'ar ba'alei chayim throughout the entire process of storing, transporting and handling the chickens, which should be done by responsible adults, not children; ensuring that a live chicken that has already been used for Kapporos by one individual should not be reused for Kapporos by another individual; and sensitivity to tzniyus concerns, to avoid improper mingling to the extent possible.

We have enlisted the assistance of a group of distinguished local Rabbonim to work together with the proprietors and sponsors of Kapporos centers and with Mashgichim to implement proper standards, and to oversee the centers to ensure that nothing improper transpires in the Kapporos process. 

We therefore call upon the entire tzibbur to patronize only those Kapporos centers that are under the exacting Hashgacha of expert Rabbonim. In the z'chus of carrying out this minhag vasikin properly, in full compliance with halacha, may we all be zocheh to kapporas avonos, and to be inscribed in the Book of the Righteous for a good and blessed year.

To this we have placed our signatures, for the benefit of the community, these final days of Chodesh Elul 5767.


Click here to download a PDF of the Kol Korei.
Understanding Teffilos Yom Kippur
The Commission on Torah Projects of Agudas Yisorel is delighted to present a four-part live broadcast video series on understanding Tefillos Yom Kippur.

The series will take place nightly, at 10:00 PM EDT from Thursday, September 9 through Tuesday, September 14, and will feature Rabbi Yosef Elefant, Rabbi Gershon Ribner, Rabbi Reuven Leuchter, and Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum.

The Shiurim will be broadcast live on Torahanytime.com/agudahTorah or call in at: 718.298.2077 x52.
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