The Minhag of Kaparos Arouses the Three Good Middos of Klal Yisroel

The Rema writes (Orech Chaim 605) that there is a custom to take a male (zachor) chicken on erev Yom Kippur. The Kossover Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Toras Chaim on Rosh Hashanah) writes that a male is also called a “gever”, which is an acronym for “gomlei (chasadim), baishanim and rachmanim”, which are the three signs of the Jewish people (Yevamos 79A). This is a hint that one must commit to these three middos as a preparation for the Day of Judgment.