Dear Friends,
Every spring, I take time to clean my house. Not the regular weekly tidying, but a deeper process: looking at my home with fresh eyes and asking, “Do I really need everything I own? Could this space feel different?” I declutter, rearrange, and let go.
I do it for renewal. Letting go of what I no longer need creates space for something new, and sometimes I rediscover forgotten treasures that take on new life.
Now, as the weather turns chilly, that kind of big cleaning is harder. But decluttering and letting go are not only for our homes, they are also part of the spiritual work of Rosh Hashanah.
One of the holiday’s most powerful customs is Tashlich. The word tashlich means “to hurl,” from the verse in Micah (7:18–19): “[God] is forgiving iniquity and remitting transgression; … You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
Based on this verse, a tradition emerged: on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, people gather near water, recite prayers, and symbolically cast away their sins. Many toss pieces of bread, quickly snatched up by ducks and fish. It may look unusual, but its meaning is deep. As we hope for God to hurl away our sins, we mirror this act by releasing resentment, regrets, or negativity, making space to become better versions of ourselves.
Micah teaches that God casts away sins “because He delights in kindness.” The goal isn’t to erase the past, but to create room for compassion and renewal. As Israeli writer Lihi Lapid puts it: “Rosh Hashanah is the perfect time to cast away all the things I have no way of changing.”
The Midrash reminds us that God created humanity knowing we would be both imperfect and kind, and that our task is to choose wisely what to let go of, what to keep, and how to move forward.
So as we enter this new year, I ask: What do you want to hurl away? Which burdens are you ready to release? And what will you carry forward, even if imperfect, because it is part of who you are?
May this Rosh Hashanah be a season of letting go, of renewal, and of rediscovering the graciousness with which God created us, guiding us toward a kinder, better world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Moriah SimonHazani
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