Today we come to this body of water to perform the Tashlich ceremony, seeking symbolically to “cast tashlich away” our accumulated sins and transgressions— the ways we have missed the mark—so that we may purify our hearts and our souls, as the new year .begins. Here are a few texts to read and reflect on ˙˘ליך

Micah 7:18-20 How might you embrace ִמי־ ֵא֣ל ָּכמֹ֗ו ָך נֹ ֵ ׂש֤א ָע ֺון ֙ ְועֹ ֵב ֣ר ַעל־ ֶּ֔פ ׁ ַשע ִל ׁ ְש ֵא ִ ֖רית ַנ ֲח ָלתֹ֑ו ל ֹא־ ֶה ֱח ִז ֤יק ָל ַעד ֙ ַא ּ֔פ ֹו ִּכֽי־ ָח ֵפ ֥ץ ֶ ֖ח ֶסד ֽהוּא׃ Who is a G-d like You, forgiving iniquity and remitting transgression; Who your wrongdoings, has not maintained anger forever against the remnant of Your own people, personal and collective, because G-d loves graciousness! without anger, and even ְ ?with love יָ ׁש֣וּב ְי ַ ֽר ֲח ֵ֔מנוּ ִי ְכ ּבֹׁ֖ש ֲע ֺוֽנֹ ֵת֑ינוּ ְו ַת ׁ ְש ִ֛ליך ִּב ְמ ֻצ ֥ל ֹות יָ֖ם ָּכל־ ַח ּטֹאו ָתֽם׃ G-d will take us back in love; G-d will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea. ִּת ֵּת ֤ן ֱא ֶמת ֙ ְליַֽ ֲע ֔קֹב ֶ ֖ח ֶסד ְל ַא ְב ָר ָה֑ם ֲא ׁ ֶשר־ ִנ ׁ ְש ַּב ֥ ְע ָּת ַל ֲאבֹ ֵת֖ינוּ ִמ֥י ֵמי ֶקֽ ֶדם׃ You will keep faith with , loyalty to , as You promised on oath to our ancestors In days gone by. Silverman, Keshet, a national organization working for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life. Isserles Let us cast away the sin of indifference to injustice Let us cast away the sins of times we did not reach out to “Throwing bread into the water and reciting the help othersLet us cast away sins of being not being better biblical passage mentioning "the deep" (Micah 7) allies because of our own privileges is a reminder of the “deep” out of which the days Let us cast away the sins of times we did not help our of creation were formed. Thus, by going to the transgender siblings and community members sea on , we cele brate creation and Let us cast away the sins of the times we did not have the are led to think of our own place in G-d's scheme courage to speak up about injustice of creation. When we contemplate these matters Let us cast away the sins of times that we did not help and repent from our sins, then they are truly others because we were happy with our own lives thrown away, into the water, and we feel renewed Let us cast away the times we witnessed prejudice or on this Day of Judgement.”Here, Rabbi Isserles discrimination but did nothing offers a different idea: the water that we Let us cast away the sin of ignoring those in needLet us encounter during bears connection to cast away the sins of not having time to be part of the water from the creation story. This activism in our communities connection is meant to evoke a sense of Let us cast away the sins of not giving tzedakah to causes perspective and to remind us of our individual Let us cast away the sin complacency in oppression smallness in the scheme of creation. On issues of oppression, what sins of indifference and complacency will you cast away? What is it about the reality of our own smallness that would lead to a desire to repent? How does water How will you work towards undoing societal wrongs in the shape our repentance process? coming year?

“I feel that I cannot throw away these wrongdoings without thanking them first, Rabbi Zalman for certainly at the time I committed them, they served a need within me.” Schachter-Shalomi: Offer some gratitude to the ways you have missed the mark and see how it feels.