How the Tashlich Ritual Can Help You Finally Release Your Past

One of the most potent parts of Rosh Hashana is a ritual that is done outside of the standard synagogue prayer service.

The ritual is called Tashlich, which means “casting.”

What is Tashlich — the Casting Ritual?

The ritual of Tashlich is based on the words of the prophet Michah, who proclaimed that

“God will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins.”

The ritual entails throwing bread crumbs — or little pieces of bread — into a natural body of moving water.

The bread represents the sins that we are atoning for, or the things we are leaving behind as we transition to the new year.

Why Tashlich Works

The practice of Tashlich isn’t just another religious ceremony. It’s effectiveness is rooted in psychology.

As the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote in the Rosh Hashana prayer book,

It’s a gesture of breaking with the past and letting it be carried away on the river of time while we set out on a new journey in a different direction.

Sometimes, words can feel empty. You might want to change, but feel burdened by your past actions.

Maybe you’ve even reformed your behavior but you still wear the residue of guilt, shame, remorse, dishonor, incongruence, or low self-esteem.

The practice of Tashlich helps us symbolically and physically shed whatever we are still holding.

This is one of the powers of ritual: it can take an esoteric and amorphous concept like “releasing” and make it more visceral. It takes us out of our heads and puts us in our bodies.

When to Practice the Tashlich Ritual

Traditionally, the Tashlich ritual is performed on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashana. But the beauty of this ritual is that you can adapt it for any time.

You can do it at the secular new year, quarterly, or on other milestone moments.

In addition to Rosh Hashana, I do this ritual around my birthday, which is in the spring. Sometimes I do it with rocks or pebbles instead of with bread.

The core element of the ritual is to symbolically throw something to the waters as a way of releasing that which no longer serves you or your growth path.

How to Practice the Tashlich Ritual

The official tashlich ritual does include a prayer, but you don’t have to follow the official script.

Here are the steps to follow to perform this ritual beyond the official script:

1. Consider what you want to release. Parts of your past, mindsets, behaviors, and any associated emotions related to them, such as guilt and shame.
2. Journal about what you’re releasing. A helpful bonus step that isn’t part of the original is to journal about what you’re releasing and why. This helps give you some personal accountability and connects you with your intention.
3. Head to a nearby body of water, with some of whatever you plan to cast into the water. It can be lake, river, ocean, stream or brook.
4. Once you arrive at the shore, hold your objects in your hands. Bring to mind the things you are releasing and spend a few moments considering what it will mean for you to let them go.
5. Throw your objects into the water. One by one, throw your bread crumbs or whatever other object you brought, into the water. Each time you throw something into the water, reconnect with your intention for what you are releasing. Imagine it dissolving in the water.
6. When you finish, thank the water for taking whatever you released.
7. Journal about your experience to anchor it in more deeply.