P R E P A R E D F O R B E T T O R A H F A M I L I E S Tashlikh W H A T I S T A S H L I K H ? H O W T O P E R F O R M T A S H L I K H

Tashlikh literally means “You will Bet ’s Mahzor (the prayer book we use on throw/hurt/cast away,” from the and ) is Lev Shalem. biblical verse Micah 7:19: Families interested in observing the traditional [God] will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea. Conservative ritual may want to follow the liturgy .and instructions on page 177 ַת ׁ ְש ִלי ְך ִּב ְמ ֻצל ֹות יָם ָּכל־ ַח ּטֹאו ָתם. tash-leech bim’tzoolote yahm kole chah-toe-tahm. The ritual of Tashlikh is not mentioned in the Torah Tashlikh is a ritual performed on an or the , so there’s lots of room to get afternoon of Rosh Hashanah (It can creative! also be postponed until Yom Kippur). During the ceremony, we P L A C E S T O P E R F O R M T A S H L I K H symbolically throw away the sins from our past year by literally Bathtub throwing crumbs into water. Beach, stream, or lake Kiddie pool As we throw away real crumbs, we Bet Torah’s traditional location: the pond at remember all the things we’ve done Shoppers Parking lot wrong and try to metaphorically T H I N G S T O T H R O W A W A Y throw away those actions as well, while promising to try to improve in T H R O W crumbs into water. the coming year. D R A W a picture in sidewalk chalk and then turn on the hose and wash it all away.

F O L D a paper airplane out of newspaper (or other paper you already have at home) and see how far away you can throw it. (Remember to recycle the paper when you’re done).

B U R N kindling in your fireplace (with adult supervision!) and focus on the flame while thinking about your past behavior until it turns to ash.

A note on the safety of wildlife: It is traditional in our community to use bread crumbs for Tashlikh, but the tradition is not healthy for ducks. Instead, you can use frozen corn or peas, rice, birdseed, or fish food. P E R F O R M I N G T A S H L I K H A T H O M E B E F O R E Y O U S T A R T Assemble "things to throw away" at your water location.

1 R E A D ִמי ֵאל ָּכמ ֹו ָך נֹ ֵ ׂשא ָעוֹן ְועֹ ֵבר ַעל ּ ֶפ ׁ ַשע ִל ׁ ְש ֵא ִרית ַנ ֲח ָלת ֹו Mee ehl kamochah no-say ah-vone vih-ovaire ahl peh-shah lish-ay-reet nah-cha-lah-toe Who is a God like You, who forgives the sins of the remainder of Your people? ל ֹא ֶה ֱח ִזיק ָל ַעד ַא ּפ ֹו ִּכי ָח ֵפץ ֶח ֶסד הוּא loh heh-cheh-zeek lah-ahd ah-poe kee chah-faitz cheh-sed hoo God does not hold on to anger forever, God wants kindness. יָ ׁשוּב ְי ַר ֲח ֵמנוּ ִי ְכ ּב ׁש ֲעוֹנֹ ֵתינוּ Yh-shoov y’rachamaynoo yich-boshe ah-voe-no-tay-noo O p t i o n a l E n g l i s h R e a d i n g God will show us compassion again, God will overcome our sins A P R A Y E R F O R ְו ַת ׁ ְש ִלי ְך ִב ְמ ֻצל ֹות יָם ָּכל־ ַח ּטֹא ָתם vih-tash-leech bim’tzoolote yahm kole chah-toe-tahmand Y T A S H L I K H ou will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-19). b y R a b b i R a c h e l 2 T H I N K B a r e n b l a t What have I done this year that I could have done better? Here I am again What do I want to cast out / wash away / throw out / burn away? ready to let go of my How will I be different next year? mistakes. Help me to release Consider the positive as well! What am I proud of? myself What will I continue to try to do? from all the ways I've Last year, how was I better than I was two years ago? missed the mark. How can I continue that progress? Help me to stop carrying the karmic baggage of 3 D O my poor choices. Toss / wash / throw / burn / cast off! As I cast this bread upon the waters 4 C O N C L U D E lift my troubles off my .shoulders ִּכי־ ֵמי נֹ ַח זֹאת ִלי ֲא ׁ ֶשר ִנ ׁ ְש ַּב ְע ִּתי ֵמ ֲעבֹר ֵמי־נֹ ַח ע ֹוד ַעל־ ָה ָא ֶרץ Kee mei Noakh zot lee asher nishbati ma’avor mei Noakh oed ahl ha’aaretz Help me to know that To me, these are like the waters of Noah. Just as I swore that the waters of Noah would never flood the earth, last year is over, washed away like crumbs ֵּכן ִנ ׁ ְש ַּב ְע ִּתי ִמ ְּקצֹף ָע ַל ִי ְך וּ ִמ ְּג ָער־ ָּב ְך. ken nishbati miksof al’layikh u’miggaar bach. in the current. I swear not to be angry or criticize you (Isaiah 54:9). Open my heart to blessing and gratitude. 5 I M P R O V E Renew my soul as the Keep working to be a better person today, tomorrow, dew renews the grasses. and every day! And we say together: M a t e r i a l s i n s p i r e d b y M y J e w i s h L e a r n i n g , P J L i b r a r y , S e f a r i a , a n d o t h e r s . Amen.