Tashlich and an Ice Cream Sundae

Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness.
He shall return and grant us compassion;  He shall hide our iniquites, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins.  
You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.   Book of Micah 7:18 ~ 20

This word Tashlich means "You will cast away", and refers here to the Jewish observance that is symbolic of casting our sins to the sea.  This custom dates back to probably before the 14th century, and is based on the final verses of the book of Micah (above).   At the synagogue I attend on L.I. for the holidays , there is a special  Tashlich at the Marina, and after we take a handful of bread to cast into the sea , representing casting out sin,  there is a treat!!

Ice cream!

God is good!!

He is pleased at repentance.  As a matter of fact, even before the creation God put into effect the plan of a Deliverer to redeem us.

I am starting to experience the "joy" of repentance.

I am starting to love "teshuvah".  

Tashlich is done on the day of Rosh Hashanah, at the beginning of the ten days of Awe, which lead up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.   I always thought  of the Day of Atonement as a heavy and sad day, and yet even though it is the most important and Holy day on the Jewish calendar, it is a day of lightness and joy.  People wear white and sneakers to synagogue and there is a divine Light shed on this holy of holy of days after the 10 days of Awe and Repentence and the work of preparing that starts way before that.  It is recited that on Rosh Hashana our names our written in the book of Life and then on Yom Kippur it is "sealed'.

May all our names be written in and sealed in the Book of Life for a good year!

Blessings and Shalom,

Love,
♡

Shayndel

Teshuva and the Ice Cream Truck

Challah  and Cherry Blossoms diary

Winding down, or up the posts from my LI visit and celebrating the fall feasts in this season of "return".
I know this post out of sequence, but for my records, I had to put in this photo of the butterscotch ice cream sundae and just wanted to include the story to go with it.

You will teach me the path of life.

In Your presence is perfect joy;

delights are ever in Your right hand.

--Psalm 16:11

At the Tashlich ceremony (part of the New Year celebration and observances, a Jewish tradition of symbolically casting our sins into the sea), there were two ice cream trucks!!  After the ceremony, where we read certain scriptures that are chosen for this day, and then throw crusts of bread into the sea to symbolize casting off sins, everyone lined up for ice cream.  Young and old.   Hearts were lightened from the blowing of the shofar the previous day at Rosh Hashanah. 

There at the marina, it was a joy to be part of.   Small children with their fathers in excitement for what kind of ice cream to have, and older people who were also joyously enjoying a treat that they might not ordinarily indulge in.   And I can't tell you when was the last time I had an ice cream sundae!  With butterscotch yet!   We all were eating and enjoying ice cream that was from a man in a truck,  but there was a wonderous unity and beauty in  how it was clearly understood that everything is provided from God. 

( somehow the spiral shape  of the soft ice cream even reminded me of the spiraling round challahs of return often made at this time of the year.  The whole experience being shaped by the Holy Spirit and filled with the sweet taste of return...)
 
Teshuva = Return

＊
Post Script

The photos below are from another day, after the butterscotch sundae story above.  I suppose I had butterscotch sundae on my mind sometime after the Tashlich!  One day after that I was driving into the village and  surprised to find myself behind an ice cream truck.  I wanted to stop him but didn't quite know how from the car, so I  followed it through the winding streets of the neighborhood.  Finally he stopped in a cul de sac.   I stopped behind him and  got out and ordered... guess what?... a butterscotch sundae.  I had completely forgotten that I had almost no money and was on the way to the bank!  but he had already made the sundae and said not to worry about it!

I don't know if you or I will find an ice cream truck at the next feast of the Lord but I will say that  we enter new doors and new roads open to treasures and delights that God will reveal exquisitely ....and I might add, in unique ways...to each one who follows after His heart.

Love and blessings from your Challah and Cherry Blossoms correspondent,

♡

Shayndel

Tashlich and Calendar of the Fall Feasts in 2017

Who is a God like You,
Forgiving iniquity
And remitting transgression;
Who has not maintained His wrath forever
Against the remnant of His own people,
Because He loves graciousness!
He will take us back in love;
He will cover up our iniquities,
You will hurl all our sins
Into the depth of the sea.
You will keep faith with Jacob,
Loyalty to Abraham,
As You promised on oath to our fathers
In days gone by.   ---Micah 7:18~20

Calendar of the Fall Feasts in 2017:

Rosh HaShanah   September 21-22 2017
・The scriptural name for this Holy Day is Yom Teruah, which means sounding of the trumpets, literally the day of the blast.  It is on first day of seventh month of Tishri, see Leviticus 23, Numbers 29.    

Rosh HaShanah translates as the `Head of the Year` and a new year on the Hebrew Calendar, this year 5778, begins

・Yom Kippur  September 30 2017
Day of Atonement, begins on the tenth day of the month of Tishri, a Shabbat of solemn rest and fasting,  the Holiest day of the year on the Biblical calendar, see Leviticus 16, Lev 23

Sukkot  October 5-11 2017
・Feast of Tabernacles, begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tishri, and lasts for seven days, Lev. 23, Num. 28, Deut 16, `tabernacle` and even sleep under the Succa!

After Sukkot, comes Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, celebrating the completion of reading one full year cycle of the Torah, and the love and joy of studying Torah.  The Torah scroll is rolled back to the beginning as we start again reading from Genesis, and the continual cycle begins anew.

Tashlich, which this post is titled, means `you will cast away`.  It is a Jewish custom of going to a body of water and symbolically casting our sins by throwing small stones or crumbs,  usually done on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and the scripture above from Micah is read.

Yeshua our Messiah is the true atonement of our sins.  In this season as we observe the appointed times on G-d`s calendar in obedience and love, it is a time also of reflection and seeking Him for what ways we can move into the year ahead as better hearers and doers of His word.  Even as is it a solemn  time to seek forgiveness,  also this year I am finding a lot of joy, as God comes so close as we draw nearer to Him during His Feasts (and fasts, as Yom Kippur is a day of fasting).  Before Yom Kippur is a time to ask forgiveness to those we sinned against in this past year,  individually and in our communities and nations.  And a powerful time to pray for all to come to Salvation in Yeshua!
Blessings to all in this season of repentance and Return.
Blessings and Love, in 5778!!!, G`mar Chatimah Tovah!! May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year {in the Book of Life}!

Love,

♡

Shayndel

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.     ---1 John 1:9

  

Praise the LORD for He is good.

His steadfast love is eternal.

---Psalm 118:29

L'Shana Tovah! Happy New Year 5777!

L`Shona Tovah!  Happy Sweet New Year! 5777

First steps to braiding a round Challah!

Round Challah is said to represent circle of life, circle of sweetness, the Crown for the King! Dip the apples and the challah into honey!

Happy Sweet New Year!!
It's been such a wonderful 'homecoming' to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, for the first time in seventeen years in Japan!

Rosh Hashanah is known as the Jewish New Year although it's actually the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar.  It comes from Yom Teruah, the feast of blowing shofarot (the plural of shofar)  in Leviticus 23:23-25, and has also come to be referred to as The Feast of Trumpets.

"In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a Shabbat rest, a memorial of blowing  (shofarot), a holy convocation. You are to do no regular work, and you are to present an offering made by fire to ADONAI."
  ADONAI's instructions to Moses for the people of Israel, from Leviticus 23:23-25, TLV

Every thing about the holiday from the blowing of the shofar, to the sweetness of the food, to the special customs like going to the river (I went to the moat of the castle, our nearest body of water) to cast out our sins, to the special week which it begins of taking time of prayer and repentance, has indeed been filled with AWE! Actually another name for these Holy Days which lead up to Yom Kippur on the Kingdom Calendar are the Days of Awe.

I gave New Year Postcards to some friends here where I live in my community in Japan.   When I gave a card to my friend Etsuko, she exclaimed, 5777?!  I told her that is the year we are in on the Hebrew Calendar.  Then she also took interest in the words, L'Shana Tovah, and I told her they were Hebrew for Have a Good Year.  She looked at the picture of a shofar and had absolutely no idea that it was an instrument or anything about it at all.  It was exciting to be able to share the culture that I am from and that she knew nothing about, like a whole new world opened just from the postcard!!  After so many years in Japan where people so generously share things with me about their country, I am excited to start to share about where I am really 'from'.

In all the years we celebrated Rosh Hashanah growing up, I  never knew that this is also a feast to celebrate the creation of the world!  And of course most of all the Creator of the Universe.  Another thing I learned about the Fall Feasts, High Holy Days, is the concept of Teshuvah, which means "return".  When we repent and return to our Creator, our King it can also be a special time of rejoicing.  Even as we are approaching and preparing for a more solemn time of repentance at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, there is so much joy in the return.  Some people say once we are saved, why celebrate all the holidays as we are forgiven of our sins in Yeshua.  Its true He is our Salvation, yet because of that it makes us see even more the beauty of these days and what that Salvation means.  I feel like a child in this season, looking through new eyes to obey, honor and delight in God's commandments from returning to Him through Yeshua.

Making the round first round challah.  Redemption. Forgiveness and the anticipation of His return.  Casting our sins in the depth of the sea and opening our hearts and eyes to the wonders of creation.  Those are some of the things to celebrate as we feast and fast in this season of awe.

Who is a God like You
pardoning iniquity,
overlooking transgression,
for the remnant of His heritage?  He will not retain His anger forever, 
because He delights in mercy.                  --Micah 7:18

He will again have compassion on us.  
He will subdue our iniquities,
and You will cast all our sins
                          into the depths of the sea.           --Micah 7:19

when doing my first `Tashlich` of casting our sins into the depth of the sea,

 I looked into the sea and saw the wonders of God`s creation...

Shabbat Shalom!

The earth is full of the love of ADONAI.

    ---Psalm 33:5 TLV

credit note & thanks: I made the Challah in this post and the challah in the post above from this recipe for Honey Apple Challah on Tory Avey.com.  The blog author there makes it so beautiful.  Mine still needs practice, but it was delicious and very fun to try the braiding,  the recipe is great and easy to follow!