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Saturday 26 December 2015

Tashlikh: Casting our Sins Away

http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/ShabbatandHolidayInformation/Holidays/JewishHolidays/HighHolyDays/Tashlikh_CastingSinsAway.aspx

Tashlikh is a remarkable ceremony -- symbolic and concrete all at the same time. Through this ritual, we express not only our desire to be free from sin but our continuing hope that we will be forgiven for past misdeeds. On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah -- or on the second day, if the first day is a Shabbat -- it is customary to go to a flowing body of water and to recite prayers while "casting" our sins (represented by bread crumbs) into the water. As we read in Micah: "You will cast (tashlikh) all your sins into the depths of the sea" (7:19).

By performing tashlikh, we signify our hope that God will overlook our failings during the past year and grant us favor in the year to come.

The preferred "order" for the bodies of water is (l) the sea, (2) a river, (3) a lake, spring, or fountain. If there is no such water within walking distance; in the case of inclement weather; or if one did not perform the ceremony on Rosh Hashanah for any reason, then tashlikh may be performed at any time up to Yom Kippur.

According to some customs, the body of water we visit should have fish in it. It has been suggested that this helps to remind us of our precarious existence and thus puts us in the mood to repent. It has also been suggested that we may be compared to fish caught in the net of divine judgment.

While it is traditional to shake out the hems of one's clothing to ensure that all "sins" have been disposed of, tashlikh ceremonies differ all over the world. The Jews of Kurdistan had a custom to recite the tashlikh prayer near a river and then to jump into the water and swim around, instead of only shaking out the hems of their clothing.

On Repentance

"Do not say that repentance is not necessary except for serious transgressions such as illicit sexual relations, robbery and theft. Just as a person must repent of acts such as these, he is required to examine his bad traits and turn away from such negative characteristics as anger, hostility, jealousy, the tendency to ridicule, pursuit of material possessions and honor, and gluttony. A person must repent of each of these. These offenses are more difficult to deal with than the other ones because such traits affect our actions at all times, and it is difficult for a person to refrain from such habitual behavior." (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance, 7.3)

"None shall hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the love of the Lord shall fill the earth as the waters fill the sea." (Isaiah 11:9)

(From the Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, edited by Rabbi Jules Harlow, c. 1972 by the Rabbinical Assembly. Reprinted by permission.)

Suggested prayers and readings

Out of the depths I call to You;
Lord, hear my cry, heed my plea.
Be attentive to my prayers, to my sigh of supplication.
Who could endure, Lord, if You kept count of every sin?
But forgiveness is Yours: therefore we revere You.

I wait for the Lord; my soul yearns.
Hopefully I await His word.
I wait for the Lord more eagerly than watchmen wait for dawn.

Put your hope in the Lord, for the Lord is generous with mercy.
Abundant is His power to redeem;
May he redeem the people Israel from all sin. (Psalm 130)

Who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity and pardoning the transgression
of the remnant of Your people? You do not maintain anger forever but You
delight in lovingkindness. You will again have compassion upon us, subduing
our sins, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show
faithfulness to Jacob and enduring love to Abraham, as You promised our
fathers from days of old. (Micah 7:18-20)

A Tashlikh Prayer

(From Mahzor Hadash, edited by Rabbi Sidney Greenberg & Rabbi Jonathan D. Levine, c. 1978 by the Prayer Book Press of Media Judaica, Inc. Reprinted by permission.)

Let us cast away the sin of deception, so that we will mislead no one in word or deed, nor pretend to be what we are not.

Let us cast away the sin of vain ambition which prompts us to strive for goals which bring neither true fulfullment nor genuine contentment.

Let us cast away the sin of stubbornness, so that we will neither persist in foolish habits nor fail to acknowledge our will to change.

Let us cast away the sin of envy, so that we will neither be consumed by desire for what we lack nor grow unmindful of the blessings which are already ours.

Let us cast away the sin of selfishness, which keeps us from enriching our lives through wider concerns, and greater sharing, and from reaching out in love to other human beings.

Let us cast away the sin of indifference, so that we may be sensitive to the sufferings of others and responsive to the needs of our people everywhere.

Let us cast away the sins of pride and arrogance, so that we may worship God and serve His purposes in humility and in truth.

Creating liturgy: The building blocks of a tashlikh service

Tashlikh can be recited independently or as a communal ritual.

Summoning us to spend time outdoors after a morning spent inside the synagogue, the ceremony also provides an opportunity for creative liturgy.

The tashlikh ceremony is an ideal family activity, providing an opportunity for parents and children to perform a ritual together. Children may prepare the bread crumbs for "casting" and then distribute them to the various members of the family. Parents can also explain the ritual to the children as they walk to the water's edge and assign each family member a different reading.

Looking Back

During the past year, what has made you really happy?

What do you really regret not doing last year?

What opportunities did you miss?

Whom do you wish you had not hurt?

How might you make up for what you did?

What was a Jewish high for you this past year?

What was a Jewish low for you this past year?

Looking Forward

What new goals have you set for yourself for the coming year?

How would you like to do things differently in the coming year?

How will you enhance your life Jewishly during the coming year?

Today is the Birthday of the World

What two wishes do you have for the world on its birthday?

"The water is pure, teaching us that it is time to cleanse ourselves and wash away all of our mistakes. Today we begin a new year of goodness. Today, as we throw away our crumbs, let us rid ourselves of all bad habits and any grudges that we may have had. May we always feel God's love for usvand know that God will help us improve ourselves in this new year." (From Jewish Family Matters, by Ronald and Leora Isaacs, published by The United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education)http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/ShabbatandHolidayInformation/Holidays/JewishHolidays/HighHolyDays/Tashlikh_CastingSinsAway.aspx

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