EVERETT — The Hebrew word “tashlich” means “to cast away.”
Members of Temple Beth Or, a Reform synagogue in Everett, came to the 10th Street boat launch Thursday afternoon to cast away their sins, errors and transgressions.
Led by Rabbi Jessica Marshall, they threw pieces of bread int
o the waters of Port Gardner to symbolize letting go of all the times they missed the mark in the past year.
That’s the purpose of the Tashlich service, held on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Marci Zainwel, 14, of Mukilteo, came with her parents, Debbie and Leon. She stood on the boat launch reflecting on the past year and thinking of how she wants to improve in the new year.
“It’s easy to say ‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ but it’s not so easy to say ‘I won’t do it again’ and to keep the promise,” she said. “When you are in a community, you feel responsible before others and it’s easier to follow through.”
Ron Heiman of Mukilteo watched his 6-year-old daughter Annabelle grab a handful of bread crumbs and joked that she must have had a bad year. The girl smiled as she threw the little pieces as far as she could into the waves, where a few seagulls were waiting for the offering.
Heiman said he always takes the day of Rosh Hashanah off.
“Growing up in Tacoma, our parents never let us go to school on Rosh Hashanah, which was fine,” he said.
He said he cherishes memories of a beloved Rosh Hashanah tradition — eating slices of apple dipped in honey, to symbolize a sweet year ahead.
Rosh Hashanah this year began at sundown Wednesday, marking the beginning of the High Holy Days. The holidays will culminate 10 days later with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
Jews spend most of the day on Rosh Hashanah in synagogue. One of the day’s most important traditions is blowing the shofar, a trumpetlike instrument traditionally made from ram’s horn.
“It’s a wake-up call that urges us to do better in the coming year,” Marshall said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
Services
Yom Kippur and Sukkot services are planned at Temple Beth Or, a Reform synagogue in Everett, and Chabad of Snohomish County, an Orthodox congregation in Edmonds.
•Chabad of Snohomish County: www.jewishsnohomish.org or 425-967-3036.
Temple Beth Or: templebethor.org or 425-259-7125.
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