Tashlikh - 5781

Tashlikh Podcast 5781

Rabbi Phil Bressler

Audio for Tashlikh-5781 - A Printable version of this page is appended at the very end of this page as a PDF attachment.

Transcription:

Shanah tovah! Thank you for downloading this self-guided Tashlikh podcast, presented by Beit Am – the Jewish community of Oregon's Mid-Willamette Valley.  I'm Rabbi Phil Bressler

As we enter the new year 5781, we face unprecedented challenges in the form of COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires that have made the air outside hazardous and unhealthy.  Gathering together in person for High Holiday services OR the ritual of Tashlikh just isn't safe this year.  That's why we've prepared this audio guide – to support you in carrying out your own ritual, in a way that's comfortable and safe for you.  No books or printouts required – just your phone or mp3 player, headphones if you like, and something symbolic to cast into the water. 

Before we begin, here are some suggestions for how to create a mindful and meaningful experience:

Look for a natural body of water that you can access easily. Tashlich involves symbolically casting off your sins into a body of water like a river, spring, lake, pond, or well. Most people prefer natural, flowing bodies of water because it gives the effect of your sins being swept away by the current.  Remember, it’s acceptable to perform Tashlich even if you can see the water only from a distance. If you can, find a body of water with fish living in it. Fish have a special symbolism for Tashlich. Just as fish can suddenly find themselves caught in nets, so too do we humans sometimes unintentionally find ourselves caught in bad habits or situations that lead us to act in ways we regret.

Although Tashlikh is traditionally performed on Rosh Hashanah, if you’re unable to perform the ceremony on Rosh Hashanah itself, or if the area near the water is too crowded to allow for social distancing, you can still do Tashlich any day during the Days of Awe until Yom Kippur.

Many of us have cast crumbs of bread into the water for Tashlikh in years past.  However, we now know that bread can be harmful to ducks who ingest it.  Instead, consider casting corn or peas (canned, frozen, or fresh), seeds, oats, or rice.  Small stones or twigs also work nicely.  Our feathered friends thank you for your consideration.

Can’t leave home at this time? If you can’t access a body of water, run water from a faucet into a sink or bowl, or use an outdoor hose. You can use dissolvable paper and write down a misdeed or regret from the past year and dissolve it in the running water. If you don’t have dissolvable paper, sprinkle salt or sugar into the running water as you would bread into a pond.

Examine what you’ve struggled with in the past year. The High Holy Days are a period of introspection, and Tashlich invites you to reflect on your behavior throughout 5780. The word for “sin” or “mistake” in Hebrew is cheit.  It comes from the language of archery — to sin is to miss the target. All of us have times - many times - when we fail to live up to our best intentions. Whether you “missed the mark” by acting knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, don’t be afraid to be honest with yourself during this period of review.

Take a meditative walk. After you’ve thought about your actions over the past year, take some time to consider how you can improve in the upcoming year. Many Jews recommend taking a walk and meditating to think of ways that you can change your behavior. Keep in mind, however, that the goal of Tashlich is to move forward in the year, rather than to dwell on the past.

With these suggestions in mind, you can pause the recording here and take the time you need to prepare, and travel to wherever it is you plan to go.  When you're ready, press play once again and listen or sing along with me through these preparatory melodies. 

Eli, Eli

Hanna Senesh, David Zehavi

O Lord, my God I pray that these things never end The sand and the sea The rush of the waters The crash of the heavens The prayer of the heart

Eli, Eli  shelo yigamer l'olam  hachol v'hayam  rishrush shel hamayim  b'rak hashamayim  t'filat ha'adam

אֵלִי, אֵלִי שֶׁלֹּא יִגָּמֵר לְעוֹלָם הַחוֹל וְהַיָּם רִשְׁרוּשׁ שֶׁל הַמַּיִם בְּרַק הַשָּׁמַיִם תְּפִלַּת הָאָדָם

Return Again

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

Return again, return again, return to the land of your soul  (x2) Return to who you are Return to what you are Return to where you are Born and reborn again  (x2)

Individual Reflection

Start to think back through this past year.  Let images enter and exit your mind.  Small moments, meaningful moments, smells, pictures, and faces.  Think back to last Rosh Hashanah.  Where were you at the last High Holy Day cycle? What goals did you have for the coming year?

Move now through last fall, the winter, spring, and summer.  What benefits did you reap this year?What changes did you make in your life? What patterns did you break? What new work did you take on?

In what ways did you bring light and goodness into the world? What joy came into your life this past year?

What did you struggle with? What issues or difficulties did you overcome?

What learning did you do this year? What effect did it have on you?

Think about losses in your life this past year.  In what ways did you grieve?

Tashlich means “you shall cast away.” The act of throwing bits of food can be a letting go ceremony – releasing unneeded parts of ourselves, patterns that no longer serve us.  What have you taken on in the past year that you are ready to release? What is feeling obsolete? What are you carrying around that no longer nourishes and can be let go?

Prepare now to cast whatever you've brought with you into the water, but hold onto it for one more moment.  You can pause the recording here if you need to.

Casting

Reach into your pockets and grab whatever small items you've brought to throw into the water.  Take a deep breath in. When you let go of them, breathe out and watch them wash away. Only do this when you feel ready. It might take you longer than some other people to prepare for this moment, but don’t feel rushed.

As you cast into the water, repeat the following words after me in Hebrew and then in English:

I cast away from myself all my transgressions.    I will create within myself a new heart and a new spirit.

Hashlichu mei-aleichem   et kol pisheichem,   asher p'shatem bam,   va'asu lachem lev chadash   v'ruach chadasha

הַשְׁלִיכוּ מֵעֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־כָּל־פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם  אֲשֶׁר פְּשַׁעְתֶּם בָּם וַעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם  לֵב חָדָשׁ וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה

Reflection

A poem for reflection as we watch our past drift away.

At the Water's Edge

by Elizabeth Tragash

On this sacred day when the old year slips away we prepare to meet the year ahead, we stand at the water’s edge our pockets lined with dust and bread, symbols of our shortcomings and regrets.   Many are the regrets and sorrows that weigh upon our souls, let us cast them off into the moving waters so we may begin anew.   Great is our regret for the harsh words we have spoken, the tender words we left unsaid, for the anger we let smolder, the compassion we withheld, for our greed and jealousy, our lack of generosity. for all that we could have done, all that we have left undone.

Many are the regrets and sorrows that weigh upon our souls, let us cast them into the moving waters so we can strive to become all that we were meant to be.   Great is our remorse for the energy we spent fighting instead of trying to make amends, for the times we could have lent a hand instead of keeping our hands by our sides, for the times we looked away from those near and far who need our help and caring, when we turned away from the places in the world in need of repairing.   Many are the regrets and sorrows that weigh upon our hearts and souls, let us cast them into the moving waters so we can begin to build bridges connecting us one to another.

Thank you for joining me on this journey through the Jewish ritual of tashlikh.  May the new year 5781 be a year of sweetness and blessing for you, for our community, and for the world.  I hope you'll sing with me one more song – a song of uplift and renewal for the year ahead.

L'shanah tovah u'metukah!

Concluding Song

Psalm 96

Julie Silver

Shiru l'Adonai kol ha-aretz Shiru l'Adonai shir chadash

Sing unto God all the earth a new song, I will sing unto God a new song. Sing unto God and we'll all sing along, All the earth a new song unto God.