Image by marsmet542 via Flickr

Some of you are most likely wondering what Tashlich is? It is a Jewish tradition done during the day after Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah) up until the last day of Sukkot. It is more traditionally done during the first and second days of Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah). It is the practice where one goes to a body of water or ocean and throws a piece of bread in the water symbolic of one getting rid of theirs sins for the year. As scripture says that Adonai ”casts our sins into the sea of forgetfulness”, “Thou our sins are as scarlet He makes them white as snow”. Yes it looks like another work of the flesh but at the same time in my mind it reminds me to confront my sins head on.

Image via Wikipedia

Our family went on a Sukkot camping vacation for seven days and on the 2nd to last day we went to throw the bread in the water. I didn’t go down to the water “prayed up”. I wasn’t reflective. I went with the attitude that I will do it because my husband is passionate about us doing it. So we went to the water at Big Sur which has a beautiful backdrop and not a lot of people. We stood and prayed the traditional prayers and then took turns throwing the bread into the water. It was a done deal no big shebang but when I did I immediately felt freedom inside like a cleanliness and purity wash over me and I felt free. Adonai is good He will be there even when you aren’t super-spiritual in your heart He is there when you are obedient. It is amazing how a simple act of obedience can lead to spiritual encounters. 

Related articles

• What is Rosh Hashanah? (bluethreadministriesintl.org)
• The Fall Feast Are Upon Us: A Time of Blowing Shofars, Repentance, Prayer, Fasting, Psalms, Awe, Purification, Judgment And Camping! (paradoxparables.wordpress.com)
• The Prayer Liturgy of the High Holy Days (ffoz.org)

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