Tashlich 5773

Today we celebrated Rosh Hashannah -- the start of the Jewish year 5773.  Traditionally for Rosh Hashana we eat apples dipped in honey -- apples to symbolize the round earth and honey for a Sweet New Year.  This is one of our favorite rituals associated with the holiday, and our other favorite ritual is called "Tashlich," which means "casting off" in Hebrew. Tashlich is thought to have originated during the Middle Ages inspired by a verse attributed to the prophet Micah:

God will take us back in love;
God will cover up our iniquites,
You [God] will hurl all our sins
Into the depths of the sea. 

(Micah 7:19)

 To perform the ritual of Tashlich, a person throws bread crumbs into a moving body of water. As the bread crumbs are carried away by the water, any regrets or wrong-doings (committed knowingly or unknowingly) from the previous year are symbolically cast off, giving the opportunity for a fresh start in the New Year.

 The coast was beautiful today and the scurrying sanderlings were irresistible...

 

 Wishing you and your family Shannah Tova -- a Good Year, a Sweet Year...