SHEDDING THE CRUST OF LIFE
Storahtelling Tashlich Ritual September 14 2007
Verse per verse: The Weekly Storah
Storahtelling Tashlich Ritual September 14 2007
Verse per verse: The Weekly Storah
By Lauviticus
About twenty of us from the Storahtelling family gathered on the second day of Rosh Hashana on the Hudson River pier, to shed away the year that was.
Sitting in a circle on the lawn, under a grey sky, we were led by Jake Goodman, who beautifully md’d an original version of the Tashlich ritual. First we chose pieces of bread, two each, of different varieties, symbolizing our life’s choices. Then we went around in a circle, spreading strawberry jam on our bread to represent our sweet moments from the year that passed, then peanut butter to represent what will stick with us for the next year – worthwhile challenges and personal goals. The sharing took a while and was very moving. And then came the tasty bit – we made our sandwiches, ate the middle, and saved the crusts for the fish. The crusts, Jake explained, represent that part of our life that we are grateful for but are shedding in order to make room for new experiences. Together we climbed the rails along the pier and tossed our crusts into the Hudson River, much to the delight of a local flock of seagulls. A Chinese feast followed and a new year ushered, carb free.
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ReplyDeleteMy name is Glenn Grossman and I am a pro musician in nyc and I’d like to take a minute to share my rosh hashana experience with the Storahtelling group who so warmly invited me to share the bread throwing ritual with them in lower manhatten.
ReplyDeleteFor a person who has not been exactly “religious” with regard to the practice of the jewish faith and rituals I believe that something happened that day that was not seen until the following day when I felt the most free that I have ever felt in all of my life. I may add at this point that I do not partake in any mind or mood altering substances with the hope that life unfolds and reveals itself in the most natural way.
It is with this in mind that I can honestly say I it is possible that this is one of the few if not the only moment where I may have truly felt the presence of god and a freedom inside of me that I have never even come close to feeling before. this all immediately after the ritual by the river.
Thanks to everyone at Storahtelling for making this experience possible.