Breaking Down Tashlikh

• This beautiful ritual allows us to symbolically cast our sins away by throwing pieces of bread into a natural body of water; the name of this ritual itself means “cast away” and is derived from a line from the prophet Micah.
• While most commonly done on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, this ritual can be done anytime during the High Holy Day season, all the way up until Hoshanah Rabbah.
• Selections from Psalms are traditionally recited while performing this ritual, along with private reflection and personal prayer.
• The spiritual significance of water plays a role in the origins of this ritual as well; water is both symbolic of the creation of the world and the location of revelation of many of the biblical prophets.
• Don’t live near a body of water? You can still perform this ritual! It is permitted to use a puddle, melted ice, or even a running fire hydrant!