Many of us relish the opportunity to start anew, seeking forgiveness for our wrongdoings.
One way to do this is tashlich, the symbolic casting off of the past year’s sins by tossing breadcrumbs or pebbles into flowing water. People think of the things they’ve done wrong in the previous year and “throw them away” for a better year ahead.
Tashlich — meaning “to cast” in Hebrew — is typically performed on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. The ritual stems from the text of Micah (7:19): “You will cast (tashlich) all your sins into the depths of the sea.”
Some say the act is based on the Midrash. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, Satan disguised himself as a “raging river.” Abraham waded into the river thinking he could make it across, but the water surged up to his and Isaac’s necks. “Deliver us, Adonai, for the water is drowning us,” Abraham cried, and they were saved.
Others believe that the water represents kindness, and fish — which don’t have eyelids — symbolize an ever-open eye. “Thus we ask God to bestow His benevolent kindness on us and protect us with His watchful eye,” according to the Midrash.
For Rabbi Judith Beiner, the community chaplain of Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta, tashlich is one of her favorite Rosh Hashanah rituals.
“Tashlich is an opportunity to learn how to let go, to figure out what needs to be released into the water: sins, resentments, remorse, guilt, relationships or behaviors that no longer serve us,” Beiner wrote in a 2020 article. “That which we send down the river become memories, further away, less painful. When we let go of our past, we can look towards the year ahead, setting our sights on becoming the best version of ourselves.”
Some Jewish environmental groups have turned the tradition of tashlich on its head due to ecological concerns about throwing bread into bodies of water. They have instead adopted a practice of “reverse tashlich,” which encourages people to pick up trash along a beach or river. Dozens of communities worldwide have participated in these cleanup projects.
For those who wish to symbolically toss something away, Repair the Sea, a Jewish marine conservation group, recommends using pebbles or leaves instead of breadcrumbs.
“We tell people: don’t use bread; it’s not the natural food of the fish or the birds,” Rabbi Ed Rosenthal, the founder and CEO of Repair the Sea, told eJewishPhilanthropy.
He said bread expands in animals’ stomachs, leading to health issues.
“We tell people to use pebbles; use shells. It’s actually much better anyway, because it has a nice effect when it splashes, which the bread doesn’t do,” Rosenthal added. “You can really feel like you’re getting rid of your sin.”
Whatever you decide to cast off this year, remember to consider your impact and the Jewish value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world. L’shana tova!
Tashlich Opportunities in the D.C. Area
Sept. 14
- Reverse Tashlich: Lake Accotink Cleanup with Pozez JCC’s Growing Jewish Families, 9 a.m. to noon
Sept. 22
- Tashlich at Tompkins Basin with Fort Belvoir Jewish Congregation, 5 p.m.
Sept. 23
- Tashlich services with Fabrangen Havurah at Glen Echo Park, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 27
- Reverse Tashlich and Lunch with Moishe House Columbia Heights, 9 a.m.
Sept. 28
- Tashlich service and picnic with Temple Micah at Rock Creek Park, 10 a.m.
- Reverse tashlich waterfront cleanup with Bender JCC of Greater Washington, 10 a.m. to noon
- Kayaking tashlich on the Potomac River with the Den Collective, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- DC Tashlich with GatherDC and Sixth & I, 3-4 p.m.
- Tashlich with New Synagogue Project, 4-5 p.m.
