Tashlich is a custom that is traditionally done on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, although it can be done any day until Yom Kippur. The Hebrew word tashlich translates to ‘casting off’ in English, as this ritual is a symbolic casting off of our sins. While it is customary to do so by tossing crumbs to fish in front of a body of water, that is not always possible, just as in our case. So today, we will instead toss breadcrumbs to birds in front of nature. And just like we would do in front of the water, we will also recite the traditional prayers from the books of Micah and Psalms, which recalls G-d’s Thirteen Divine Attributes of Mercy and requests that they be used by G-d when judging our sins. And, just as we ask G-d to “hurl our sins into the depths of the sea,” we will figuratively do the same as we hurl our birdseed into the depths of the arboretum.
(18) Who is a God like You,
Forgiving iniquity
And remitting transgression—
Not staying angry forever
Toward the remnant of Your own people,
Because You love graciousness! (19) [God] will take us back in love,
Quashing our iniquities.
You will hurl all our sins
Into the depths of the sea. (20) You will keep faith with Jacob,
Loyalty to Abraham,
As You promised on oath to our fathers
In days gone by.
the Lord answered me and brought me relief. (6) The LORD is on my side,
I have no fear;
what can man do to me? (7) With the LORD on my side as my helper,
I will see the downfall of my foes.
(8) It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in mortals; (9) it is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in the great.
(ה) וִיהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי, אֵל עֶלְיוֹן מֻכְתָּר בִּתְלֵיסַר מְכִילִין דְּרַחֲמֵי. שֶׁתְּהֵא שָׁעָה זוֹ עֵת רָצוֹן לְפָנֶֽיךָ, וְתִהְיֶה עוֹלָה לְפָנֶֽיךָ קְרִיאַת שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת שֶׁל רַחֲמִים, שֶׁבִּפְסוּקִים מִי אֵל כָּמֽוֹךָ, הַמְּכֻוָּנִים אֶל שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן וְגו', אֲשֶׁר קָרִֽינוּ לְפָנֶֽיךָ, כְּאִלּוּ הִשַּֽׂגְנוּ כָּל הַסּוֹדוֹת וְצֵרוּפֵי שֵׁמוֹת הַקְּדוֹשִׁים הַיּוֹצְאִים מֵהֶם וְזִוּוּגֵי מִדּוֹתֵיהֶם, אֲשֶׁר אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד יִגָּֽשׁוּ לְהַמְתִּיק הַדִּינִים תַּקִּיפִים וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצוּלוֹת יָם כָּל־חַטֹּאתֵֽינוּ. וְאַתָּה בְּטוּבְךָ תְּעוֹרֵר רַחֲמֶֽיךָ וְנִהְיֶה נְקִיִּים מִכָּל־טֻמְאָה וְחֶלְאָה וְזוּהֲמָא. וְיַעֲלוּ כָּל־נִצּוֹצֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר נִתְפַּזְרוּ, וְיִתְבַּרְרוּ וְיִתְלַבְּנוּ בְּמִדַּת טוּבְךָ, אַתָּה אֵל יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ נוֹצֵר חֶֽסֶד לָאֲלָפִים, וּבְרֹב רַחֲמֶֽיךָ תִּתֵּן לָֽנוּ חַיִים אֲרוּכִים. חַיִּים שֶׁל שָׁלוֹם, חַיִּים שֶׁל טוֹבָה, חַיִּים שֶׁל בְּרָכָה, חַיִּים שֶׁל פַּרְנָסָה טוֹבָה, חַיִּים שֶׁל חִלּוּץ עֲצָמוֹת, חַיִּים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם יִרְאַת שָׁמַֽיִם וְיִרְאַת חֵטְא, חַיִּים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם בּוּשָׁה וּכְלִמָּה, חַיִּים שֶׁל עֽשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד לַעֲבוֹדָתֶֽךָ, חַיִּים שֶׁתְּהֵא בָֽנוּ אַהֲבַת תּוֹרָה וְיִרְאַת שָׁמַֽיִם, חַיִּים שֶׁתְמַלֵּא כָּל מִשְׁאֲלוֹת לִבֵּֽנוּ לְטוֹבָה. וְזָכְרֵֽנוּ לְחַיִּים מֶֽלֶךְ חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים, וְכָּתְבֵֽנוּ בְּסֵֽפֶר הַחַיִּים. לְמַעֲנְךָ אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים, וּקְרַע רֹֽעַ גְּזַר דִּינֵנוּ, וְיִקָּרְאוּ לְפָנֶֽיךָ זָכִיּוֹתֵֽינוּ:
(5) May it be Your will Adonoy, our God, and God of our fathers, most High Almighty Who is crowned with thirteen attributes of mercy, that this be a time of favor before You, and may it ascend before You our recitation of the Thirteen Attributes of mercy, [which are contained in the verses: “Who is an Almighty like You” which correspond to the Thirteen Attributes, “Almighty, Merciful, Gracious etc.,” that we have recited before You. Consider it as if we had comprehended all the esoteric meanings and the combinations of the Holy Names that are formed from them. And the joining of their attributes, which, one by one, shall approach [You] to sweeten the severe judgments. And so, cast into the depths of the sea all our sins. And You, with Your goodness, arouse Your mercy, that we may be cleansed from all forms of impurity. And may there ascend [before You] all the sparks of holiness which have been scattered. And may we be refined and purified through Your goodness. You Almighty, are our deliverance, the Keeper of kindness for thousands [of generations.] And with Your abundant compassion grant us long life, a life of peace, a life of goodness, a life of blessing, a life of good sustenance, a life of bodily vigor, a life in which there is fear of Heaven and fear of sin, a life in which there is no shame or disgrace, a life of prosperity and honor, in order that we may serve You, a life in which there will be within us love of Torah and fear of Heaven, a life [in which] You will fulfill the wishes of our hearts for goodness. And remember us for life O King, Who desires life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for Your sake, Living God. And tear up the evil [parts] of our sentence, and may our merits be stated before You.
(15) May the words of my mouth
and the prayer of my heart be acceptable to You,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
As we toss this birdseed into the air, I encourage you to reflect on what you are casting away, and how you can make changes to prevent yourself from committing the same sins.
As these symbols of my transgressions are transformed to nourishment, so may my heart and spirit be nourished through the opportunities for goodness that this new year brings.
May my good deeds pour forth like water, like a handful of birdseed. May I do good and seek goodness.
Discussion
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One of the reasons that Tashlich is performed by a body of water is because water symbolizes kindness and fish symbolize an ever-open eye, fitting our plea to G-d to bestow us kindness and protect us with His watchful eye. However, we are substituting water for nature and fish for birds. In Judaism, nature symbolizes G-d’s will and wisdom while birds symbolize peace, transformation, freedom, and power.
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How can we use these alternative themes to still make meaning of our ritual today?
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G-d’s Thirteen Divine Attributes of Mercy, as we just recited in our prayer, are as follows: G-d is 1) compassionate before a person sins, 2) compassionate after a person has sinned, 3) all-powerful, 4) compassionate, 5) gracious, 6) slow to anger, 7) abundant in kindness, 8) abundant in truth, 9) a preserver of kindness for thousands of generations, 10) forgiving of iniquity, 11) forgiving of transgression, 12) forgiving of sin, and 13) pardoning.
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Why do you think it is important to recognize all of these attributes individually?
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Which attribute do you think is the most important? Which attribute is most relevant to you during this time of year?
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While Tashlich can be performed alone, we have all decided to come together to do it.
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What is the value of admitting to our sins together?
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As we heard in the prayer, we are only asking for forgiveness between the individual and G-d. However, there still may be sins that we have committed against another person.
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How can you ask for forgiveness from others? Is there something you can take away from today to use in that process?
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