Page 37 - HaMizrachi # 22 Rosh HahHana - Yom Kippur 2020 USA

YAMIM NORA’IM READING

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody

Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah

he earliest recording of Tashlich, Abraham’s alacrity to bind Isaac, which, In a detailed study on this custom’s
performed on the first afternoon according to one Midrash, included him history, Prof. Jacob Lauterbach spec-
Tof Rosh Hashanah, was by the being neck-deep in a river that was cre- ulated that this rite stemmed from an
early 15th-century German scholar ated by “Satan” to stymie him. attempt to pacify certain Satanic forces
Rabbi Ya’akov Molin, the Maharil (Min- and protect children from undue harm.
hagei Maharil RH 9). He describes how While the earliest depictions of Tash- Historians have further pointed to a
the masses would walk to rivers and lich vary, most require using water medieval ritual with similar themes and
“cast away their sins” by reciting the last that contains fish. Rabbi Mordechai rites documented in Rashi’s 11 century
th
th
verses from the prophet Micah, which Jaffe (16 century, Poland) explained Talmudic commentary (Shabbat 81b).
include, “He will take us back in love; that fish, constantly in danger of being Suspicious of Tashlich’s origins, the Gra
He will cover up our iniquities, You will caught by fishermen, warn us of the abstained from the entire ritual (Ma’aseh
hurl all our sins into the depths of the snares of death and therefore inspire Rav 202), a position which my family and
sea” (7:19). Yet the ritual is undoubtedly repentance (Levush OC 596). Others others of Lithuanian descent continue to
older, with much speculation about its believe that because fish are always maintain (see Aruch HaShulchan, Orach
origin and meaning. alert with their roving eyes, they remind Chaim 583:4).
us of the ever-watchful gaze of G-d
G-d reveals Himself near water in sev- (Shlah RH 23). Alternatively, fish might Be that as it may, the ritual clearly con-
eral Biblical stories, including the vision ward off the evil eye, and represent tinues to have widespread observance.
of the Divine Chariots (Ezekiel 1:3) and the blessing of fecundity (MB 583:8). Here in Jerusalem, the lack of bodies of
Daniel’s end-of-days prophecies (Daniel water has not deterred its citizens from
10:4). One Midrash even claims that Some early sources also allude to the flocking to empty ancient wells, artificial
all prophecies took place near water ritual of throwing bread or other food ponds, Ir David’s wellspring, and even
(Mechilta Rashbi 12:1). As in the story of into the water, possibly signifying the kiddie pools in synagogue courtyards!
Creation (Bereishit 1:2), G-d’s presence, casting away of our sins. Many Sages, Nonetheless, no interpretation of the
so to speak, is said to hover over water, however, deemed this a violation of the ritual has been universally embraced.
making it an appropriate place for prayer holiday restrictions, especially if Rosh While the famed 16th-century mystic
(Ba’al HaTurim Bereishit 16:7). Indeed, Hashanah falls on Shabbat when car- Rabbi Isaac Luria ordained shaking
many medieval European synagogues rying food and prayer books in unen- out one’s clothing to aid the extraction
were built close to waterfronts. closed public domains is prohibited. The
Shulchan Aruch omits any reference of harmful forces, more rationalist
Great bodies of water connote maj- to throwing food or fish (OC 583). In scholars shunned this embellishment,
esty and glory. Riverfronts are deemed his lesser-known philosophical work, instead framing Tashlich as a mere tool
appropriate sites for royal coronations Rabbi Moshe Isserlis describes how the to inspire repentance – to stimulate us
since they symbolize the new reign’s per- mighty waters make us contemplate to genuine introspection and change.
petuity (Horayot 12a). Some later writ- the grandness of G-d’s creation and His
ers speculated that Tashlich similarly dominance over nature, leading us to
celebrates G-d’s kingship over the world, repentance and the casting away of sins
a central theme in the Rosh Hashanah (Torat HaOlah 3:56).
prayers (Yabia Omer OC 4:47). Others
alternatively contend that the ceremony These creative interpretations notwith- Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the author of A
recalls Ezra’s Rosh Hashanah assembly standing, the diverse and conflicting Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Hal-
that rededicated the Torah by the water practices and interpretations most likely akhic Debates (Maggid) and runs the “Jewish
gates (Nehemiah 8:1-2). Maharil him- reflect emendations of a folk custom Law Live” YouTube channel and Facebook
self speculates that the waters recall with potentially problematic meaning. group.

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