Episode 19: Tashlich, The Feast of Trumpets, and the Four New Years

Summary

What is the ceremony of Tashlich, often celebrated during Rosh Hashanah?

Tashlich comes from a Hebrew word (תשליך) that means: “You will cast.” We think about all the times that we're like an archer aiming an arrow, but missing the mark, missing the way. And as part of this beautiful ceremony, we pick up stones and cast our misdeeds and sins into the sea, watching them fall, never to be found again.

There are many times that we may have missed the mark over this last year. But the good news is that Messiah’s death cleanses us and offers us forgiveness. His spirit empowers us to live a life following him and his ways. To helps us not to sin.

In some ways, Tashlich is a form of baptism, where individuals cast away their sins into a body of water. It is a deeply personal and intimate experience that symbolizes repentance and letting go of old ways and the importance of having a loving relationship with God. We also briefly discuss the four different New Years in the Hebrew calendar and their significance in relation to the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Yom Teruah.

How amazing that this Jewish traditions points us to a God who loves us and also provides a way to remove our sins as far as the east is from the west!

Who is a God like you, pardoning the sin and overlooking the crimes of the remnant of his heritage? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in grace. He will again have compassion on us, he will subdue our iniquities. You will throw all their sins into the depths of the sea.
—Micah 7:18–19

Chapters

• 00:00 — Introduction to the Ancient Way

• 00:26 — Tashlich and the Feast of Trumpets

• 01:29 — The Significance and Practice of Tashlik

• 14:36 — Exploring the Four New Years in the Hebrew Calendar

Takeaways

• Tashlich is a ceremony performed during Rosh Hashanah where individuals cast away their sins into a body of water.

• Tashlich is a form of baptism and symbolizes repentance and letting go of old ways.

• The ceremony of Tashlich is deeply personal and requires a loving and intimate relationship with God.

• There are four different New Years in the Hebrew calendar, each with its own significance.