Temple Emanu-El members gather at Nathan Benderson Park to cast away sins

Simply put, a Tashlich ritual is a time to reflect on mistakes from the past year.

On the evening of Sept. 27, members of Temple Emanu-El gathered at Nathan Benderson Park for the Tashlich ritual. The Jewish community gathered to sing, pray and toss bread into water to represent casting away their sins of the past year and to start anew.  

"Acknowledging my own imperfections and helping others to confront their own is sacred work," said Rabbi Michael Shefrin of Temple Emanu-El. "None of us are perfect and we all can do better. This season helps with that hard but important work."

Although the ritual is a time to reflect on imperfections, Shefrin said he looks forward to the ritual, which is part of the High Holy Days, every year.

Lakewood Ranch's Paula Reich said Judaism allows her to feel connected to her ancestors and it's important for her to keep the Jewish connection going. In 61 years, the only time she has missed a High Holy Days ceremony was when she was giving birth.

Reich said Judaism has 613 commandments to follow and it can be difficult to keep track of them all.

"Any time that I was not as kind or as helpful as I could have been to somebody, I apologize," Reich said. "I've had evil thoughts, even if I did not act on them. It's a ritual that prepares you for the next year."

Lakewood Ranch's Stacy Feldbaum walked her son Zev, 5, through what the ritual represents to make sure he knew they weren't just feeding ducks at the park. Zev said his goals for the new year are to be better at cleaning up after himself and to be nicer to his brothers and friends.

"We were putting those sins inside the bread, one at a time, and he threw them into the water to cast them away," Feldbaum said.

"Judaism for me is the guiding path," Shefrin said. "It grounds me, gives me purpose, and keeps me in relationship with God, tradition, community, and our world."