Rosh Hashanah – Taschlich at the Beach!
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In this guest post written by Imani Ackerman, she shares the beauty of Rosh Hashana! It is a Biblical festival and a Jewish holiday period. It is steeped in history, rich is prophetic significance and a beautiful day full of symbolism and opportunities to grow deeper in your faith, such as in the tradition of Taschlich!
Enjoy Imani’s post and be sure to check out her blog and social media accounts listed below!
Taschlich – Why Celebtrate Rosh Hashanah…at the Beach!
My family and I started celebrating Jewish holidays as a way to add opportunities for family worship and fun throughout the year. This is our first year observing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and we chose to do so through a ceremony called Taschlich, especially because it’s an excuse to go to the beach!
We often find that the best days to go to the beach are in September when school is in session (less crowds) and the weather is still summery and warm. What better setting to worship God and celebrate the “birthday of creation” than outdoors?
Some background for you: Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It’s celebrated as the day that God created the universe. It runs into Yom Kippur which is the Day of Atonement, a day of fasting (that ends with feasting). These holidays combined are the High Holy Days or The Days of Awe. It is a time for prayer, reflection and joy as the New Year begins.
A Taschlich Moment
The Taschlich ceremony is one that is usually performed on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Taschlich means “cast off” in Hebrew and usually it is observed by going to a body of water and “casting” bread into the water — the bread symbolizes our sins. Some people cast small pebbles instead, in case the nearby fowl have gluten allergies — I mean, because it may be seen as better for the environment 🙂
One spiritual meaning behind this symbolic ritual can be found in The Book of Micah which says,
“He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.”
(Micah 7:19 HCSB)
Other translations say that God “hurls” our sins into the depths of the sea.
Rosh Hashanah, for Christians, means we can imagine our sins being thrown as hard, fast, and far as possible so that no one can retrieve it.
In Christian tradition the sea is often said to be the “sea of forgetfulness.” The point is, like the bread, flung into the sea, floating away on the waves, and dissolving until it is unseen — Jesus takes our sins away.
Does shame ever weigh you down because of something you did?
Do you ever beat yourself up over not being as Christian as you should be or for falling into temptation so easily?
Do you ever feel like you shouldn’t come into God’s presence because He would be mad at you?
Have you ever felt the pressure to be good or do better… maybe subconsciously believing that God would love you more?
You may need a tashlich moment!
Does shame ever weigh you down because of something you did? You may need a taschlich moment. Share on XCast Your Cares
Jesus says,
“Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls. For My way of carrying a load is easy and My load is not heavy.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NLV
You were never meant to carry the weight of your sin. From the beginning of creation God intended for us to be with, find joy in and rest in Him. Because of Jesus we can give God the burden of trying to fix the brokenness that comes from our sin and trust Him to help us and restore us.
Imagine our sins being thrown as hard, fast, and far as possible so that no one can retrieve it. Share on XThe Bible says,
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 niv
Taschlich Symbolism
Taschlich — “cast off” — usually symbolizes repentance, but it is also an opportunity for joy, to remember what God has done for us in Jesus, our Messiah. He is God’s promise to remove the chasm that was between us and Him because we weren’t able to do it ourselves. (Diane’s note… Rosh Hashanah for Christians IS all about Jesus, not just now but in the future when He returns!!)
When we cast our bread into the sea we remember that Jesus’ broken body became sin for us, and He died and rose again so that we could live in Him.
When we cast our bread into the sea we remember that Jesus' broken body became sin for us, and He died and rose again so that we could live in Him. Share on XWe remember that our sins are no longer held against us.
And we remember that we can ask God for forgiveness because in Christ He made a way for us to have a right relationship with Him.
We remember that we can approach God with confidence because we know He empathizes with us and will help us in our weakness. (Hebrews 4:16)
We remember that God is for us. If He is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Rosh Hashanah – Meet With God at the Beach
I love the idea of taschlich at the beach.
Imagine that as you walk towards the water you are going to Jesus with your burdens.
Imagine that as you feel the breeze you remember that even when you can’t see it, His Holy Spirit is making you like Him as you remain in Him.
And imagine that as the waves crash onto the sand, that is how his love comes after you when you feel far away.
Make a trip to the beach this September and take the opportunity to remember God’s mercy and grace towards you during these High Holy Days.
Rosh Hashanah for Christians can be such a beautiful experience and I pray that as you enjoy God’s creation you realize that His love for you is…
higher than the Heavens above the waters,
farther than the horizon,
deeper than the deepest ocean,
and stretches further than the sunrise and sunset.
Inspired by ephesians 3:17-18
Thank you Imani for reminding us that yes, Rosh Hashanah for Christians can be a time to grow deeper in our faith and the beautiful symbolism of Taschlich that you shared can be something we can all take part in!
Meet Imani Ackerman
Imani Ackerman is a writer, pastor’s wife and toddler mom. She blogs at How to Be A Blessing to help moms grow in relationship with Jesus, inspire their families to faith in Him, and develop their callings to impact their world. When she’s not in “ministry mode” she’s studying Michael Jackson’s dance moves.
Blog website – imaniackerman.com
Pinterest – @imaniackerman – https://www.pinterest.com/imaniackerman
Twitter – @imaniackerman – https://www.twitter.com/imaniackerman
Instagram – @imaniackerman – https://www.instagram.com/imaniackerman
I loved this one, and I learned a bit more about Rosh Hashanah, so thank you! It reminded me of a children’s book I came across (I collect ones about various religious holidays for my daughter to learn about them). “New Year At The Pier” by April Halprin Wayland is adorable, and tells of this very ceremony.
That’s awesome Traci!! I will have to check out that book for my kids!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it, Traci, thank you for your kind words. I need more books about Jewish and Christian holidays to read to my little one so thanks for the recommendation.
Now I understand why we should go to the beach or a body of water so we can cast off. I truly enjoy learning about different ways other religion observe things.
Thank you so much Candy! I am glad you enjoyed Imani’s post!!
Thank you so much for your comment, Candy! Yes, I especially love looking at Jewish holidays to connect them back to my faith in Jesus.
Wow! I love the imagery of throwing bread into the ocean to signify Jesus casting our sins into “The Sea of Forgetfulness”. I’ve never celebrated this holiday, but it sounds like an interesting experience.
Thank you Kristin!! It really is such a beautiful tradition!!
Hi Kristin! The “sea of forgetfulness” imagery has always been so special for me, I’m so happy that spoke to you. I highly recommend looking into celebrating Rosh Hashanah next year. P.S. apples and honey are traditional food for Rosh Hashanah so the Apple Cinnamon biscuits you recently made on your blog would be perfect for next year 😉 I appreciate your comment!
Quite the opposite of casting bread on the water and it returning after many days, I have studied Rosh Hashanah bit I had not hear of Taschlich.
Yes it’s not the same as in Ecclesiastes. This is more tradition than Biblical but it paints a picture of us casting off sin. Some even use pebbles.
Thanks for your comment, Rebecca! I made this same observation when I was doing my research for taschlich. I’m not sure where exactly the bread tradition comes from for this particular ceremony, but I’m curious to look into it further. And ditto everything Diane said, pebbles are great 🙂
Love, love, love this post and your site. I love learning about Hebrew History and the festivals. This is new insight and my heart is bursting!!!
Thanks Diana and Amani, I’m Praying God’s blessing over your lives, your writing, and ministries.
I came today via Holley Gerth’s linkup.
Much love,
~Sherry Stahl
xoxo
I am so glad you enjoyed it!!! Thank you so much!!
Aww Sherry, thank you SO much for this sweet comment!! I am so happy you loved the post — and Diane’s site is awesome, isn’t it?! God’s blessings on you as well 🙂
Thank you for teaching us about taschlich moments. I love the visual of casting bread into the water to as a sign of repentance. Blessed to have you at #TellHisStory.
Thank you so much Mary!!!
Can you say cultural appropriation?
One cannot appropriate their own culture Nonya. I am a Jew. If Christians wish to show appreciation for Jewish practice and join them in a beautiful ceremony, then why stop them? Many Jews join their Christian friends for their special ceremonies. My own family did. So why is appreciation appropriation?
In the book of Exodus we see God tell the Hebrews the new year is spring. Where does it say to celebrate in fall? Who changed it? Are we not to add or take away from His Word?
There are actually more than one new year, much like in the US we have multiple new years for things such as a new tax year, a new fiscal year, a new calendar year, etc. In Israel there were new years for trees, new years for kings when the reign of one king would be counted as beginning to ending, etc. So this is not replacing one. It is just a different type.