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In symbolic fashion, he tossed small pieces of bread into a stream to the tune of chirping birds and murmuring community members, as if throwing away his sins in order to emerge with a new identity.
Kaplan will continue the tradition tomorrow following afternoon prayer services at the Chabad of Northwest Bergen County on Pulis Avenue.
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown tonight and ends at sundown on Tuesday.
“It takes the ritual experience out of the synagogue world and into the heart of nature and a pristine and relaxing environment,”said Kaplan, who will lead his congregation through a dense forest and along a winding path to recite psalms, share stories and reflect on the year by the banks of a stream.
“It’s almost as if it’s the new year and you’re plugging back into creation. It’s a very renewing experience.”
Tashlich is traditionally performed on the first day of Rosh Hashanah after the afternoon prayers, Kaplan said.
It’s a long-lost tradition in some communities, he said, but Kaplan hopes his members will find beauty in it as he always has and will pass it down generation to generation.
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