Question:
It is customary to eat Kreplach on Erev Yom Kippur. What should the filling be made of? Should it specifically contain animal meat, or may it be made with chicken? On the one hand, Kreplach are often made with meat, but on the other hand the Poskim write that one should avoid heavy foods and even meat on Erev Yom Kippur. What is the proper custom?
Short Answer:
There is no clear proof that Kreplach specifically require animal meat. In Halacha, both chicken and animal meat are commonly referred to as “meat,” and the custom of Kreplach is generally fulfilled by placing a filling inside dough regardless of whether the filling is chicken or meat.
Furthermore, the Alter Rebbe writes that throughout Erev Yom Kippur one should preferably eat easily digestible foods such as fish and chicken, and not meat. Accordingly, those who are accustomed to use chicken filling are certainly fulfilling the custom. At the same time, those who use a small amount of animal meat in their Kreplach also have upon whom to rely, particularly as the quantity is small and is enclosed within dough, making it easier to digest than an ordinary meat meal. Practically, each person should follow his family custom.
Explanation:
One of the well-known customs of Erev Yom Kippur is to eat Kreplach. Various explanations are given for this custom, and understanding them is important in determining whether the filling must specifically be animal meat or whether chicken suffices.
The Explanation of the Alter Rebbe
The Kabbalistic explanation brought in the teachings of the Alter Rebbe is that the meat hidden within the dough symbolizes the concealment of the emotional attributes (Midos) within bread, which represents Torah and Daas. Furthermore, the Alter Rebbe connects the custom of Kreplach to the two sheep offered together with the Shtei Halechem on Shavuos, which represent the depths of the heart and the attribute of Chesed. According to this explanation, the meat filling represents the sacrificial offering and Chassadim rather than Gevuros and severity.
Other Explanations for the Custom
Other explanations are recorded in Sefarim, although they are not brought in Chabad sources and are not the explanation given by the Alter Rebbe.
One explanation is that meat represents the joy of Yom Tov while the dough that covers it symbolizes concealment. Since Yom Kippur possesses an element of Yom Tov, yet its joy is hidden and not expressed through eating and drinking, we commemorate this hidden joy by covering the meat within dough.
Another explanation is that meat represents Gevurah and severity, while bread and dough represent Chesed and kindness. The meat is therefore enclosed within the dough as a symbol of the sweetening and concealment of judgment within Divine kindness.
Does the Custom Require Animal Meat?
At first glance, one might argue that according to the Alter Rebbe’s explanation connecting Kreplach to the two sheep offered on Shavuos, perhaps the filling should specifically be animal meat.
However, this proof is not compelling. If the symbolism is meant to be taken literally, one might equally argue that it should specifically be sheep meat rather than beef. Yet no such custom is recorded.
Likewise, according to the other explanations mentioned above, there is no clear indication that the custom requires any specific type of meat. The emphasis appears to be on the concealed filling and the symbolism it represents rather than on the precise species used.
While some have attempted to argue that animal meat is associated with Gevurah because of its red color, whereas chicken is not, this distinction does not appear to have any clear source in the Kabbalistic literature regarding the custom of Kreplach.
Furthermore, the Alter Rebbe’s explanation appears to point in an entirely different direction. The meat filling is connected to the sacrificial offerings and to the two sheep brought together with the Shtei Halechem on Shavuos, which represent the depths of the heart and the attribute of Chesed. Accordingly, within the Alter Rebbe’s explanation, the focus is not on meat representing severity that must be subdued, but rather on the spiritual symbolism of the Korbanos and the concepts they embody.
Does “Meat” Mean Animal Meat or Chicken?
Furthermore, throughout Halacha both chicken and animal meat are commonly included under the general heading of “meat.” Accordingly, when sources refer to a meat filling, it is not necessarily clear that they intend specifically beef, lamb, or another animal meat rather than chicken. Thus, from the terminology alone, one cannot prove that Kreplach must contain animal meat.
The Erev Yom Kippur Consideration
An additional factor must be considered.
The Michaber in his Shulchan Aruch and Alter Rebbe rules that on Erev Yom Kippur one should preferably eat easily digestible foods, specifically mentioning fish and chicken. The Mishnah Berurah likewise cites authorities who write that one who is able should eat chicken rather than meat on Erev Yom Kippur.
Accordingly, if one were to insist that Kreplach must specifically contain animal meat, it would be difficult to reconcile that position with the Alter Rebbe’s recommendation to prefer chicken on Erev Yom Kippur.
What Is a Kreplach?
Another important point is that the term “Kreplach” itself does not necessarily denote a specific type of filling.
In Halachic literature we find references to pastry pockets filled with cheese and other foods. This demonstrates that the defining feature is the covered filling rather than the particular ingredient inside.
Accordingly, the strongest conclusion would seem to be that the essence of the custom is the concealment of a filling within dough and not necessarily whether that filling is chicken or animal meat. Those who use chicken are certainly fulfilling the custom, while those whose family custom is to use animal meat likewise have upon whom to rely.
Practical Guidance
Those whose custom is to use chicken are certainly fulfilling the custom of Kreplach. Indeed, this approach harmonizes well with the directive to eat lighter and more digestible foods on Erev Yom Kippur. Those whose family custom is to use beef or other animal meat likewise have what to rely upon. Since the quantity of meat in Kreplach is generally small and mixed with dough, it is not comparable to consuming a large meat meal.
Therefore, there is no reason to abandon an established family custom in either direction.
Summary Table
| Question | Practical Ruling |
| Must Kreplach contain animal meat? | No clear proof. |
| May they be filled with chicken? | Certainly yes. |
| Does Halacha generally classify chicken as “meat”? | Yes, in many contexts. |
| What foods does the Alter Rebbe recommend on Erev Yom Kippur? | Fish and chicken, which are easier to digest. |
| Do those who use ordinary meat have what to rely upon? | Yes. |
| Which filling is preferable? | Follow family custom. |
| Does the custom depend primarily on the type of meat or on the concealed filling? | The concealed filling appears to be the primary element of the custom. |
Sources:
- Regarding eating easily digestible foods on Erev Yom Kippur: Admur 608:8 “On Erev Yom Kippur, even at the morning meal, one should eat only foods that are easy to digest, such as poultry and fish, but not animal meat, in order that one not become overly satiated. The reason for this is so that one should not be excessively full and become haughty when praying on Yom Kippur.”; Michaber 608:4; Kol Bo 68; Tosafos Avoda Zara 5b
- Regarding preferring chicken over meat: Mishnah Berurah 608:16 in the name of the Peri Megadim; Mateh Efraim 604:18 “one who is able should eat chicken and not meat”; implication of Admur who specifically mentions fish and chicken.
- Other opinion encouraging meat in the morning: Yeshuos Yaakov 608:2.
- Reason for eating lighter foods: Admur 608:8, that one not become overly satiated and haughty during his Erev Yom Kippur prayers.
- Regarding Kreplach and its symbolic significance: Mamarei Admur Haazakein Inyanim p. 190; Meiah Shearim p. 95; Sefer Haminhagim Chabad p. 58; Shulchan Menachem 3:173; Otzer Minhagei Chabad 75; Geulas Yisrael Koretz; Sefer Zera Kodesh p. 54; Sefer Taamei Haminhagim; Darkei Chaim Veshalom 744; Nitei Gavriel Y.K. 16:12
- Regarding pastry pockets not being limited to meat fillings: Seder Birchas Hanehnin 2:12; Noda Beyehuda Y.D. 30