additional story: Kappirot

So as many know, the time around and between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur is generally seen as a time to fix grievances, right wrongs, reevaluate yourself, etc. There is an old minchag (custom) called Kappirot, in which a persons since are absolved in a manner of speaking, through an act of repentence and charity. In specific, the person waves a chicken over their head three times, and then the chicken is sent to the butcher to be delivered to a needy family. Some say you can also do this with a fish. At Mayanot, we had the opportunity to do this if we wanted to (obviously I turned it down. I told them they could give me a nice frozen chicken, and I would throw that around and then give it to a soup kitchen).
Relevence of this story: So while Hayley and I were getting out sandwiches and discussing how we are the worst yeshivah girls ever (whenever we meet new people, and they inevitably ask us what we are doing here, and we tell them we are studying at a Chabad Yeshiva, they give us a once over and often do not believe us) noticed that a man wearing a chicken suit had appearred. Although my original thoughts were that this was some sort of gimmick, up went the Moshiach sign, and I knew it was Chabad outreach, bless them in there arrogantly and unJewish prostyletizing ways. Anyway, they set up this stand, with some stuffed animal chickens and start talking about Kappirot. people get interested, as always--it is hard to ignore a rollerblading chicken-suited Chasid. A few girls start doing the chicken dance, walking up to the chicken, and suddenly another of the preachers thrusts a box into the girls' faces. Inside the box? two actual, rather young looking chickens. The girls screamed, yelled at the Chabadniks, and walked away.
Moral: Chickens have feelings, too. Kappirot can be done with money instead. Free the chickens.