An Annual Tradition for Perennial Dreamers
Rosh Hashana offers a restaurant family the chance to reflect and redirect
Every year, our family marks three rituals of renewal: the Western New Year in January, Lunar New Year in late January or early February, and Jewish New Year in September (or occasionally October). Actually, there are 10 days for the Jewish New Year, from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, and the tradition is to use that time to “get back on the path” — a concept I love, in the same way that I love starting fresh to-do lists and exercise regimens. In years past, I have used this time to apologize and make amends, to unravel misunderstandings with friends, and to set resolutions for myself with a bit more of a runway than my attempts on January 1.
When our daughter Aviva was just a toddler, we incorporated a 500-year-old ritual into our lives: On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashana, we join hundreds of other Jewish and not-so-Jewish people for our version of Tashlikh. In Hebrew, the word means “cast off” and originally it was a cleansing ritual — a casting off of sins — as symbolized by bits of old bread or birdseed drifting away in a body of moving water. Our group emphasizes the flexibility of the ritual — we can cast off regrets, anxieties, beliefs, addictions, whatever we need to get rid of to move forward. It’s an example of…
