The Gospel Story of the Jewish Tashlich

The Gospel Story of the Jewish Tashlich.

“… You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you this day, shall be first in your own mind and heart; then you shall whet and sharpen them, so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the minds and hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up…” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; a portion of the Shema, the most important statement of faith and prayer in Judaism).

Like millions of others, we have a home that strives to be Christ-centered, that seeks to nurture the truth of the Christian faith in our children. But at the same time we celebrate many Jewish traditions in order to nurture that faith. Why is that? Much of our motivation to add rituals from Hebrew Scripture or history, fulfilled in Christ, to our family life is due to our recognition of the Jewish roots to our Christian faith. We believe in the value of:

• immersing ourselves in the same Bible that Jesus used, memorized and lived by;
• studying the Jewish Bible (OT) as the long, exciting, helpful prelude to the Main Event;
• learning from those believers who paved the way for the Messiah, savoring the stories of triumph and tragedy, and the fascinating events, that were the building blocks for Christ’s appearing in the flesh;
• learning from the bloodline and heritage of our Savior;
• utilizing the full-bodied, multi-sensory, experiential way children were taught in the Jewish homes;
• exploring biblical ways to live out Scripture and learn from experience, which is how children, and all the rest of us, learn best;
• using our family celebrations as vehicles for hospitality, as events in our home for friends and neighbors;
• respecting our Lord by relishing the religious faith that He embraced and completed;
• pondering and learning the deep spiritual truths revealed by the Jewish feasts and holy days, seeing as how these very truths lead inevitably to Jesus Christ the Messiah.

It’s amazing, and instructive, how family-centric the Hebrew Bible is. It appears that a main component of Jewish faith development is the celebration of historical feasts and liturgies in the home. That was God’s strategy for how to hand down the Jewish faith, from one generation to the next. Homespun activities, centered on the Torah, were how Jewish children became true believers. And this was how Jesus himself grew in his faith, through the religious orthodoxy of Joseph and Mary. That is something to seriously consider, isn’t it? Maybe OT rituals are ways to nurture the Christian faith as well.

Tashlich: A “Casting Off” Experience for Families that Celebrates God’s Forgiveness.

“Who is a God like You, who pardons (“nasa”) sin and forgives (“waober”) the rebellious crimes of His precious people? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will trample our sins underfoot and cast all our wrongdoings into the bottom of the sea.”  (Micah 7:18-19).

There are four Hebrew words in the Hebrew Bible that are translated as “forgive:”

1. “nasah” = to pardon; to lift up and take away; to forgive; to carry away a burden; to remove the consequences of a wrongdoing. “Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Forgive (“nasah”) all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.” (Hosea 14:2).
2. “waober” = to forgive; to pass over; to overlook; to carry over. (the only time it is used is in that Micah 7:18 passage above).
3. “kaphar” = to forgive; to cover over; to take away; to pardon; to reconcile; to atone. “Yet He was merciful and forgave (“kaphar”) their sins, and did not destroy them. Many times, He held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!” (Ps. 78:38).
4. “salah” = to restore through God’s favor; to forgive through God’s pardon. “He said, ‘If I’ve found favor in Your sight, LORD, please, LORD, walk among us. Certainly this is an obstinate people, but pardon (“salah”) our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own inheritance.” (Exodus 34:9).

Tashlich (tash-leek) is a Jewish ceremony conducted during the first days of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year celebration. Tashlich is a Hebrew word meaning “to cast away.” Rosh Hashanah is held on the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and is traditionally a time of repentance, and of coronating God as King of the Universe. It is a time when we realize God’s omnipotence and compassion, when we repent of our sins and beseech the King to treat us with kindness during the new year. It is an unusual ritual because it is intended for full family participation, with no separation between the genders or ages. Also, it is the only Jewish ceremony held in nature, not in a synagogue or a home.

Tashlich can be both a personal and a family celebration, and is an adventuresome and enjoyable experience in the midst of self-examination and sober repentance. Christians will fit right into this ceremony, and can understand once again how much followers of Christ can learn and grow from Jewish experience. Remember, Christianity is a Jewish religion. Christians are children of Abraham, grafted onto the Jewish tree (Romans 11).

The Tashlich Experience:

(1.) The two traditional Tashlich prayers. At some point during the ceremony, try to read these prayers aloud.

1st Prayer (This is based on the ‘Thirteen Divine Attributes of Mercy,’ from Exodus 34 and Micah 7):

“Who is a God like You who pardons iniquity and forgives transgression? He does not maintain His wrath forever, for He desires to do kindness. He will again show us mercy, He will suppress our iniquities; and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Show faithfulness to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from the days of yore.”

2nd Prayer (This is based on a portion of Psalm 118):

From out of distress I called to God; with abounding relief, God answered me. The Lord is with me, I do not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me among my helpers, and I will see the downfall of my enemies. It is better to rely on the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to rely on the Lord than to trust in nobles.”

(2.) Walk to a place of “living water” (an ocean, river, spring, well, moving water):

a. Make this a fun family adventure: Do this at night, with flashlights;

b. On the way to the water, each person picks up and collects little stones, which will represent mistakes, weak moments in need of forgiveness;

c. If stones are not available, bring some little thing that is sinkable for each person to keep in pockets for the ceremony at the water. One tradition is to break a loaf of bread at home into many little pieces of bread and make sure each person has a pocketful for the ceremony at the water.

(3.) At the site of living water:

a. Empty pockets of dirt/lint by pulling inside out, symbolizing those sins that are more hidden, or tend to cling to us and are difficult to cast off;

b. Each person casts stones/pieces of bread one at a time into the water, symbolizing their getting rid of any bad decision and being forgiven by God; this is done silently. Each person should focus on how each stone goes into the water, disappears from sight, and is completely forgotten, just as God Himself does with each of our mistakes.

c. Each family member should privately try to think of a particular wrongdoing for each stone, if possible, so that the waterside actions are effective in casting off guilt feelings for specific acts in the memory, thus helpful in healing, restoring, purifying the conscience. Children need to be freed from guilt and shame, and hopefully this event will facilitate a healing of memories in adult and child.

(4.) Read some or all of these Scriptures aloud at the water or at some point in the ceremony:

“Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and overlooks the disobedience of the remaining members of His precious people? You do not stay angry forever, but delight in showing Your faithful lovingkindness. You will again have compassion on us; You will trample our sins under Your feet and hurl all our iniquities into the deepest part of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25)

“In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes… You are my God, and I will give You thanks; You are my God, and I will exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:5-9, 28-29)

“We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.” (Psalm 33:20-22)

“Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, therefore You are revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.” (Psalm 130)

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who revere Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who revere Him.” (Psalm 103:11-13)

(5.) Sing songs on your way home (such as):

Gonna lay down my burden, Down by the riverside, (3x)

Gonna throw all my sins away, Down by the riverside (2x)

Gonna know I’m forgiven, Down by the riverside (3x)

Gonna lay down my burden, Down by the riverside (2x)