The mitzvah of kapparot
The custom of kapparot - among the Jewish Diaspora, it is customary to take a rooster and a chicken and to say a special prayer - we say, "God, the rooster will be our atonement, it will go to death and we will go to a long, good and peaceful life."
The rationale
1. When a Jew sees the rooster slaughtered, it will evoke repentance, as he knows that despite all his transgressions, a punishment was due, but God is merciful and that in itself causes the man to repent ahead of Yom Kippur.
2. The idea behind slaughtering chickens for kapparot is that we give them to charity for the poor, and this is essentially the mitzvah of charity before the holy day, to increase the number of good deeds we do before the holy day comes.
Nowadays
There is good reason to give the monetary value to the poor instead of the kapparot chicken’s meat, since such an act could cause them to feel shame.
Seder Kapparot
There is a special prayer that is customary to say. After the prayer we spin the chicken over our head 3 times
The order of redemption of kapparot
Many Jews observe the mitzvah of kapparot before Yom Kippur through redemption of kapparot, and many organizations and foundations provide the option of doing so.
Enclosed is a link for observing the mitzvah of kapparot online via Beit Chabad.
Preparations for the holy day:
Tachanun
We do not say the Tachanun prayer on Yom Kippur eve, but the Mincha prayer includes a confession that is said within the Shemona Esrei prayer.
Yom Kippur eve counts as a holiday
Yom Kippur eve is a holiday and so we make sure to eat and drink a lot in that evening’s meal.
Immersing in a mikveh
It is customary to immerse in a mikveh on Yom Kippur eve in order to be pure for the holy day.
Flogging
It is customary to receive a flogging - weak, gentle floggings of course. The idea is to go through the punishment of flogging which existed at the time of the Temple
Festive clothes
One should wear festive holiday clothes on Yom Kippur eve.
The last separation meal before the fast
In the separation meal before Yom Kippur, one should make sure to eat and drink a lot.
The prohibitions of Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur, it is forbidden to eat, drink, apply oils to the body, to wear leather shoes, and to have sexual intercourse.
Educating the children
A boy or girl under 9 years of age must not fast. From the age of 9 or 10, depending on the child, they are taught to fast for some of the day’s hours. For example, a child who is used to eating at 8:00 AM should be fed at 9:00 AM so that he fasts for an hour, for the purpose of education.
From age 11 and above, it is desirable to educate the child to do a full fast, but this is not mandatory and depends on the child.
Age of mitzvah
Starting from the age of mitzvah, the child must do a full fast: 13 years of age for boys and 12 for girls.
