Preschoolers at Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield take part in a
tashlich ritual at the temple's pond
in preparation for last year's Rosh
Hashanah.
Traditional casting away of sins can
usher in room for self-improvement.
Stacy Gittleman
Contributing Writer
I
n one of the earliest examples of "pub-
lic space Judaism:' Jews head to the
water on Rosh Hashanah to "cast off"
their sins in a ritual called tashlich.
From the Detroit River Downtown to the
Huron River in Ann Arbor, as well as local
lakes large and small, Jews of all levels of
observance take this opportunity to atone for
their sins by not only praying in synagogue,
but also actively and physically removing
crumbs of bread from their pockets. As
they symbolically empty from their pockets
the misgivings from the previous year, they
make way for self-improvement during the
next.
Shrouded in mystery, tashlich developed
around the 13th century. Rabbis of the
time initially rejected the practice because
they feared that people would believe
that tashlich, rather than actively asking
forgiveness from others, had the power to
change their lives.
The custom was later given ethical
meaning through the following midrash
connected to the binding of Isaac: When
Abraham was on his way to sacrifice Isaac,
Satan tried to stop him. When Abraham
refused to heed his voice, Satan became
a raging river blocking Abraham's way.
Abraham proceeded, nevertheless. When
the water reached his neck and he called
out for God's help, the waters immediately
subsided.
The ceremony includes reading the source
passage for the practice, the last verses from
the prophet Micah (7:19): "He will take us
back in love; He will cover up our iniquities.
You will cast all their sins into the depths of
the sea."
Most Jews perform tashlich on the
first day of Rosh Hashanah or the second
day if the first falls on Shabbat. However,
Congregation Shir Tikvah of Troy, seeking
to avoid a "carbon copy" of the first day of
Rosh Hashanah, incorporates an extended
tashlich service as their second day of Rosh
Hashanah observances at Jaycee Park in Troy.
"Tashlich is a very spirited ritual:' Shir
Tikvah Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg said. "After
publicly reading a litany of mistakes we have
committed over the past year, to see the bird-
seed and bread crumbs floating away is very
uplifting. It feels like a big birthday party."
Shir Tikvalis tashlich service starts with
an adult text study session. It includes tra-
ditional prayers and liturgy from the Rosh
Hashanah service as well as Jewish and
American folk songs, and the traditional
gospel song "Down by the Riverside." The
service is attended by as many as 150 people
who, after the service, all enjoy a potluck
meal in the park's shelter.
Although Rabbi Dorit Edut of Huntington
Woods will be spending her High Holidays
officiating services at a congregation in
San Diego, she has fond tashlich memo-
ries by Lake Huron in Bay City and along
the Detroit River with the Isaac Agree
Downtown Synagogue.
"Tashlich is a symbolic way of taking out
our sins and revealing them publicly and let-
ting them undergo a purifying process by let-
ting them go so they are no longer a burden:'
Edut said.
This year, after many in her Huntington
Woods neighborhood were ravaged by this
summer's floods, water can take on a com-
pletely new meaning.
"We now realize the power of water, that
it can be destructive and purifying all at
once. After grieving over what we lost in the
flood, we are all in need of a renewed sense
of energy, and are also awakened to what we
are doing to our environment."
Ken Goss of West Bloomfield, a member
of Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington
Hills, developed his own tashlich tradition
over the past two decades with his family
performing the ritual at a pond right out
his back door. As years passed, the tradition
grew to include anywhere between 50 to 125
people.
"Performing tashlich with family and
friends is a spiritually cleansing experience
Goss said. "I reflect on how the past year has
gone by, where I made mistakes and what I
can improve on for the coming year."
❑
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