As Jewish new year dawns, they’re casting their regrets into the water (original) (raw)

As rain came down Sunday evening and the typical D.C. sound of passing helicopters whoop-whooped overhead, dozens of Jewish young adults stood at the Tidal Basin with fistfuls of Cheerios, ready to spiritually tackle regrets the way Jews have done for centuries.

The Cheerios are a modern twist, but since the Middle Ages Jews have been flinging breadcrumbs, scraps of paper or prayers into water on Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish new year. The ritual is called Tashlich, which in Hebrew means “casting off,” and its open-ended combination of nature spirituality and self-improvement makes it one of the faith’s most popular and accessible practices.