Tashlich: The Surprising History of Rosh Hashanah’s Waterside Custom

The verses recited at Tashlich contain one of the most powerful images of forgiveness in Jewish tradition: “Who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance?... You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Today, walking to a body of water to recite Tashlich feels like an inseparable part of Rosh Hashanah. But where did this custom begin, and how did it spread from medieval Ashkenaz to Jewish communities around the world?

Where Did the Custom of Tashlich Begin?

The earliest known mention of the custom of Tashlich appears in Sefer Minhagim by Rabbi Yaakov ben Moshe Molin, known as the Maharil, one of the leading Ashkenazi sages of the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

The Maharil (approximately 1360–1427), who lived in the German Jewish communities of his era, recorded customs that would have a major influence on Ashkenazi Jewish practice. In his discussion of Rosh Hashanah, he describes the practice of going to a river to recite verses and prayers (Sefer Maharil, Hilchot Rosh Hashanah).

Several explanations for the custom appear in early works. One connects Tashlich to the Binding of Isaac. According to a midrash cited by later commentators, Satan attempted to prevent Abraham from carrying out Hashem’s command by placing obstacles in his path, including a body of water. The 16th-century Mateh Moshe, written by Rabbi Moshe Mat, a student of the Maharshal, connects going to the river with remembering the merit of the Akeidah.

Another explanation is connected to fish. The Rema mentions the custom of Tashlich in his glosses on the Shulchan Aruch, explaining that fish are considered a positive sign: “They go to the river to recite verses... The reason is that our sages said that fish are a good sign, so that the evil eye should not rule over us and that we should be fruitful and multiply like fish” (Rema, Orach Chaim 583:2).

Why Throwing Bread Into the Water Became Controversial

From relatively early on, certain practices associated with Tashlich drew rabbinic criticism. One of the main concerns involved people bringing bread and throwing it into the water for the fish.

Rabbis objected to this for halachic reasons, including the laws governing feeding animals on Yom Tov. The symbolic act of throwing food into the water was therefore not an essential part of Tashlich, and the Rema’s discussion of the custom does not instruct people to feed the fish.

The heart of Tashlich is not physically throwing sins away. Rather, it is the recitation of verses and prayers expressing repentance, forgiveness, and the hope that Hashem will “cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

From Prague to Italy

Over time, Tashlich became increasingly established in Ashkenazi communities. One place where the custom gained particular prominence was Prague. Books describing the customs of Prague tell of Jews going out toward the river near the city, with the Vltava River becoming a natural setting for the observance.

By the 16th century, the custom had also reached Jewish communities in Italy. Rabbi Moshe Provenzalo, one of the prominent Italian rabbis of the period, discusses Rosh Hashanah practices in Italian communities against the backdrop of customs arriving from Ashkenaz.

The spread of Tashlich demonstrates how a custom that emerged within one part of the Jewish world could gradually travel with communities and become familiar far beyond its original setting.

Tashlich Arrives in the Land of Israel

The custom reached the Land of Israel through Ashkenazi communities. In 19th-century Jerusalem, Tashlich was primarily associated with the Ashkenazi community, while it was not traditionally practiced by many Sephardic Jews.

Jewish travel accounts describing Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem tell of people making their way to water sources in and around the city. The Sultan’s Pool and water sites near the city walls were among the locations associated with the custom.

Over time, however, Tashlich became much more widespread, eventually becoming familiar across many different Jewish communities.

From Eastern Europe to New York

When large numbers of Eastern European Jews immigrated to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they brought their Rosh Hashanah traditions with them, including Tashlich.

In New York, the East River and other waterfront locations around Manhattan became gathering places for Jewish communities on Rosh Hashanah. Reports in the American Jewish press described large crowds making their way to the water to observe the custom.

The setting had changed dramatically, from the rivers of medieval and Eastern European Jewish communities to the waterfront of one of the world’s largest cities, but the tradition traveled with them.

Tashlich in Hasidic Communities

Within the Hasidic world, Tashlich also took on particular significance. In many Hasidic courts, the occasion became a communal event attended by the rebbe and his Hasidim, and different communities developed their own customs surrounding it.

The Hasidic emphasis on serving Hashem with joy, emotion, and an awareness of His presence throughout creation also gave the experience of gathering outdoors for Tashlich particular resonance.

What began as an Ashkenazi custom recorded centuries ago eventually traveled across countries, continents, and Jewish communities. Yet the central image remains the same: standing before Hashem at the beginning of a new year and asking for the opportunity to leave the sins of the past behind. The water may be a medieval European river, the shores of Jerusalem, or New York’s East River, but the words still express the same timeless hope: “You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”