BH
Why we cast our sins into water—and how the past can be redeemed
Dear Friends,
On Rosh Hashanah, we walk to the water’s edge and perform Tashlich, casting our sins into the flowing current. But why water? Before Pesach, we burn our chametz in fire. Shouldn’t sin—far more serious than crumbs of bread—also be destroyed in fire?
The answer lies in the very nature of sin, and of teshuvah. Chametz has no redeeming quality on Pesach—it contradicts the festival’s essence of humility and simplicity, and so it must be obliterated. But sin is different. Our missteps are woven into our life’s story. We cannot burn them out of existence. They happened. They are part of us. What we can do is transform them.
Water, unlike fire, does not destroy. It absorbs, carries, and nourishes. We drink water; we depend on it for life. By casting sins into water, we acknowledge that the past cannot be undone—but it can be elevated. The water that receives our sins at Tashlich returns two weeks later on Sukkos at the Simchas Beis Hashoevah, the Festival of the Water Drawing. In the Beis HaMikdash, that very water was poured joyously on the altar. Symbolically, the water that “carried” our sins has been transformed into an offering before Hashem. That is teshuvah—not erasure, but redemption.
The Talmud tells us that the baal teshuvah, the one who returns, reaches a place higher than even the perfectly righteous. Why? Because the very mistakes of his past become the catalyst for deeper connection. What once pulled him down now lifts him higher.
The Tea Room That Redeemed a Mistake
Congregation Shomrei Shabbos in Boro Park is famous for its tea room. Always stocked with tea, coffee, and refreshments, it ensures that no one has to rush through prayers on account of an empty stomach. But behind this tea room lies the story of one man’s mistake—and his redemption.
As a young yeshiva student, he once went out on a date with a young woman. As the sun began to set, he excused himself, hurriedly prayed Mincha, and returned. She observed his haste and decided: this was not the man for her. He was hurt, but he realized she was right. Prayer is not something to rush. From that day forward, he resolved that no one should ever feel the need to hurry their prayers because of physical hunger.
He established a tea room in his shul, always ready with drinks and snacks, so that people could pray calmly and with presence. Years later, he learned of the passing of that same young woman. He requested that her funeral procession pass the Shomrei Shabbos shul. As it did, he opened the doors wide, turned the coffin toward the building, and said: “See this place where thousands have prayed without haste—it is all thanks to you.”
What began as his youthful misstep became a lifelong legacy of blessing. He could not erase the past, but he elevated it.
“We cannot burn away yesterday’s mistakes—but we can transform them into the very fuel of tomorrow’s growth.”
This Shabbos Shuva, that is our calling.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ruvi New
