tashlich

First day of Rosh HaShana

1 Tishrei 5766 Tuesday, October 4th, '05
What it isn't & what it is
Tashlich is NOT a hocus-pocus magical method for ridding oneself of sins. It just
isn't that simple. One must do sincere T'shuva, pray to HaShem, say Vidui, and
if interpersonal sins are involved (which they inevitably are), one must appease
those he/she has wronged and receive their forgiveness before T'shuva can
succeed. One cannot go to the waterside, say some psukim, throw some
crumbs into the water (a practice which poskim frown upon, by the way), and
walk away with a clean slate - without some hard, real repentance. In fact,
there have been rabbanim in previous generations who have banned Tashlich in
their communities so that people should not slacken off from the major
challenges of the Yamim Nora'im - T'shuva and Prayer.
There are other authorities who did not mention the custom of Tashlich in their
writings at all, since it does not appear in the Talmud or other early sources. For
example, the Vilna Gaon's practice was/is not to do Tashlich.
Yet Tashlich is a wide-spread minhag in most Jewish communities around the
world.
If it is difficult to go to Tashlich on Rosh HaShana, or for some reason one
wasn't able to do so, it may be said during Aseret Y'mei T'shuva, or afterwards
until (and including) Hoshana Rabba.
The lead passage of Tashlich gives us the origin of its name, and probably the
main origin of the custom itself. The second pasuk (Micha 7:19) speaks of G-d,
in His mercy, "casting our sins into the depths of the sea". This is our T'shuva
goal - to repent so sincerely, that G-d will erase our sins completely.
Kings of Israel were anointed by the riverside. Water is the symbol of life, of
Torah, and of continuity. On Rosh HaShana, when we celebrate the coronation
of the King of Kings, we go to the river (or other body of water) as a reminder of
this theme of the day.
The Midrash tells us that the Satan received G-d's permission to try to dissuade
Avraham Avinu from going to Har HaMoriah to sacrifice Yitzchak. He placed a
river in Avraham's way, but Avraham was so determined to carry out G-d's
command, that he walked right into the water. Nothing would stop Avraham.
The river became a symbol of dedication to G-d. On Rosh HaShana, the
anniversary of the Akeida, we go to the riverside and "remind" G-d (so to
Israel Center TT #686 T A S H L I C H
lw wxt mildz
dpi i d Y ilFw a d r n W ipc' ` :'d Li z` x w mi T n r O n zFl r O d xi W
i n ipc' ` ,D' i x n W Y zFpF r m ` :ipEpg Y lFwl zFa X w Lipf `
i W tp d z E w 'd i zi E w :` x E Y o r nl d gil Q d L O r i M :c n r i
:x Al mi x :W x Al mi x :X n ipc'`l i W tp :i Yl gFd Fx a cl e
`Ed e :zE c t FO r d A x d e c q g d 'd m r i M 'd l ` l ` ~ y i l g i
:ei rpF r lM n l ` ~ y iz ` d C t i
Say this pasuk 7 times
(ht:hiw mildz) .m i n X A a Sp L x a c 'd mlFrl
Ki x ` A W xi rf A oi wi Y r c ` Wi C w ` w Y r mipET Y z x ` d i c i l r W Lip tN n oFv x i d i
.mi ng x d z C n A Ep O r b dp z z e Li zFC n l r Li ng x ElFb i e L q r M z ` Li ng x EW A k i
o M o n ` LpFv x zFU rl Li zF v n mEi w e L z xFz i w q r A mi aFh e mi kEx ` miI g Epl o Y z e
.oFv x i d i
speak), and ourselves, of the dedication of our forefather Avraham, and to
rededicate ourselves to Torah and mitzvot with that high level of dedication.
There is a kabbalistic analogy drawn between the opening, main p'sukim of
Tashlich, and the Thirteen Divine Attributes. This idea adds to the significance of
the Tashlich recitation, because of the power of invoking the Yud-Gimel Midot.
They are an essential element in the Slichot and T'shuva process, and are
integrally bound to the Biblical events of the Elul - Rosh HaShana - Yom Kippur
period.
The text for Tashlich varies from machzor to machzor. In this 4-pager, you will
find a bit more text than some, and less than others. It is appropriate to
supplement the regular Tashlich texts with your own prayers. On Rosh
HaShana, when we spend a significant amount of time in shul davening, we
don't say "enough is enough". After a festive lunch, we go out of our homes to
pray between prayers. But we don't go to the Beit Knesset. Instead, we go to a
body of water, into nature, where G-d's Presence should also be strongly felt,
and we revel in His majesty and recommit ourselves to His service.
Tashlich starts on the last page (which becomes the front page as soon as you
turn this folded sheet over). It might sound funny, but "use Tashlich wisely".
Make it a meaningful part of your Rosh HaShana, and let some of the ideas
presented here enrich the experience.
daeh dnizge daizk Wishing you and yours a
Israel Center TT #686 T A S H L I C H
h:`i diryi
z ` d r C u x ` d d `l n i M i W c w x d l k A Ezi g W i ` l e Er x i ` l
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From the Musaf of the Shalosh Regalim
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fi:cp diryi
h R W Ol K Y ` mEw Y oFWl l k e gl v i `l K il r x vEi il M l M
:'d m `p i Y ` n m z w c v e 'd i c a r zlgp z`f i ri W x Y
h:`i diryi
d r C u x ` d d `l n i M i W c w x d l k A Ezi g W i ` l e Er x i ` l
:mi Q k n mIl m i O M 'dz `
Israel Center TT #686 T A S H L I C H
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Israel Center TT #686 T A S H L I C H