TASHLICH
One of the most well-known customs, which we observe on Rosh Hashanah, or in the days before Yom Kippur, is the practice of the ceremony of Tashlich. It originates from a speech delivered by the Prophet Micah, who lived in the eighth century BCE. He said:
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
The Prophet addressed his request to Almighty God and asked him to cast away all our sins into the depths of the oceans, so that they will vanish for ever. It follows that the name of this prayer means: YOU WILL CAST.
In Hebrew tradition, when sins are forgiven, they are allowed to be covered up. The word KIPPUR means to cover. There is nothing better, in the universe, which can cover sins more effectively than the oceans. Therefore, the best location for reciting this prayer is near the ocean or a very large river. But any stream or fountain is acceptable. Indeed, most of us do not live near enough to the ocean or a large river. So we use even a little stream.
Standing next to the river, we recite the above verses, Psalm 33 and Psalm 130.
In Psalm 33 we find the verses:
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
This is an appropriate choice because it mentions the waters of the sea and speaks of the creation of the world which we celebrate on Rosh Hashanah.
Psalm 130 opens with the verse:
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
This Psalm speaks of our despair and feeling that we are sinking into deep waters because of the burden of our sins.
Many customs derive their significance from the Midrashic interpretations of the Torah. Tashlich is amongst them. Accordingly, Tashlich became extremely popular because it reminds us of the Binding of Isaac’s, which is an extremely important theme on Rosh Hashanah. It is read from the Torah on the second day and in the Musaf Amidah it is mentioned in a prominent place. The Binding of Isaac will always be our greatest symbolic act of human obedience to the Almighty and Abraham and Isaac will, for ever, be our role models because they overcame this severe test. Moreover, in our prayers we mention that the Almighty will remember us for good for the merits of Abraham’s greatest deed.
Our rabbis tell us, in the Midrash, that when Abraham, our father, was walking together with Isaac, his son, to Mount Moriah, in accordance with God’s command, Isaac asked him: “Where is the lamb which you intend to offer up as a burnt offering?” In his response, Abraham gave Isaac a very subtle hint that he was the intended burnt offering. His answer reads: “God will see to the ram for the burnt offering, my son.” No sooner had he given this answer, Satan appeared in order to prevent Abraham and Isaac from fulfilling the grave test. He stood in the way and disrupted their progress. The Midrash tells us that Satan, resorting to magic, transformed himself into a large river. But Abraham and Isaac were not deterred, entered the river and swam across it. The water reached their necks. They were frightened, so Abraham, in his distress, cried out towards heaven: ‘Master of the universe! The waters are threatening our lives. Who will fulfil your Commandments and declare Your Oneness, if I and my son were to drown in the water?” When the Almighty heard this plea, He reprimanded Satan. As a result, the river dried up and Abraham and Isaac continued their journey.
Rabbi Moshe Isseles, the Ashkenazi co-author of the Code of Jewish Law, rejected this mystical reason. He looked for a more rational interpretation. He emphasised the idea that by reciting this prayer next to the mighty ocean, we are inspired to contemplate the magnificence and magnitude of the creation and the greatness of its Creator. At the time when the story of Creation begins, the universe is covered completely with water. When we recognise the existence of God and acknowledge that the world was created from nothing, we come to regret our sins, which are, then, forgiven. In this way, they vanish into the depths of the sea.
There are other interpretations for this ancient custom. Some focus on the fish in the sea. Fish symbolise growth, because they are so numerous and hidden from the Ayin Hara- the Evil Eye. According to the second interpretation fish symbolize vulnerability and uncertainty. They swim around the oceans with such innocence. But, from one to the next their lives change. Suddenly, with no warning, they are caught inside a fisherman’s net from which they cannot escape.
Finally, we have a homiletical interpretation. The river has a number of important and positive characteristics. It has direction, purpose, energy and depths. Without direction, it becomes a lake; without water is becomes a dry canyon; and it must have depth. In our lives, we need to have depth of knowledge to overcome our sins. We, also, need to have goals and a sense of direction. Third, we need the blessing of energy and strength. May the Almighty bless us, in the coming year, with health and strength to overcome all our difficulties and challenges. May we achieve all our goals and have happiness and joy from our family, community and friends.