Today in Hebrew, our class is going on a field trip.  Using these simple words in a place like Hebrew school usually elicits great excitement in the students and I anticipate it will again today.  We will begin by reading part of article from a blog by Jewish Educator, Lisa Rappaport, entitled Tashlich: Casting Off What We Don’t Want.  Rappaport explains the tradition of Tashlich (casting away our transgressions) in a way that I hope our students will really connect with.  Here is a small excerpt:

“Wouldn’t it be nice to bundle up all our sins, all those ways we missed the mark last year, and just leave them behind? Fortunately Judaism provides us with precisely this opportunity during Rosh Hashanah.  The beautiful, ingenious process of letting go of unwanted ‘junk’ from the past year known as Tashlich.”

Once we have established some context for this Jewish ritual, I am asking the students to make a completely private list of things they would like to leave in 5775 – words they wish they could take back, disagreements with friends or family, times they wish they would have been more forthright, more honest, etc.  These lists will help the students focus on what they would like to cast away.  Then we will discuss as a class how each of us hopes to be a better person in the new year.

L’shana Tova Tikateivu!