Casting Sins Into the Sea on Jewish New Year

In a tradition thousands of years old, about 150 Jews gathered Monday at a Ventura beach to cast their sins away by tossing bread crumbs into the ocean.

Throwing bits and chunks of wheat, oat, white and raisin bread into the tide off Marina Park, many in the Ventura County Jewish Council-Temple Beth Torah congregation reflected on the ritual, joyously disposing of their sins and wishing it could be so easy.

Called “Tashlich”-- meaning “to cast” in Hebrew--the ritual is part of the High Holy Days that began at sundown on Sunday with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and end Oct. 4 with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

The High Holy Days are a time for Jews to atone for their sins, forgive others and renew their spirituality. On Monday, they thanked God for creating the world and began their annual reassessment of their lives and 10 days of repentance. The religious holidays culminate on Yom Kippur, a day of fasting.

“Symbolically, the bread crumbs reflect our sins and, in our desire to be free from sins, we cast them into the ocean and start the new year fresh,” said Rabbi Michael Berk of Temple Beth Torah in Ventura. “Psychologically, it feels good to start with a clean slate.”

Although ancient, the ritual has become more popular and common in Reform temples in the past decade, Berk said. The bread can be thrown in oceans, lakes or rivers.

Seeing the congregation’s enthusiasm for the tradition, Berk joked, “You don’t need a crumb per sin. Just take a small handful and that will suffice.”

After a short ceremony with prayer and singing, participants walked, some shoeless, toward the water’s edge and tossed their bread.

“It’s nice in a symbolic way, and it’s easier to understand and get into it instead of sitting in the temple all day,” said Ariella Goldberg, 13, of Ventura.

Gazing at the waves, Linda Crowl, a Temple Beth Torah member for more than a decade, said the ritual reflects the ebb and flow of the High Holy Days ceremonies.

“It’s lovely and it goes along with the holiday,” said the Oxnard resident, who attended her first Tashlich on Monday. “It’s refreshing, and what a beautiful spot. Even if it wasn’t a holiday, watching the sunset here would cause you to reflect.”

Meanwhile, hovering sea gulls soon descended to pluck the now-soggy bread from the sand.

“The bread is absolutely traditional,” noted Berk. “And, environmentally, it’s gentle to the environment.”