Not to be confused with “Bread: On the Waters,” the album recorded by the soft-rock group (“The Guitar Man” and “Baby, I’m-a Want You”), which peaked at No. 12 in 1970.

Nope, the bread on the waters that I refer to is about Yom Kippur, considered to be the most holy day in Judaism. Yom Kippur begins on 9/21 following the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which folks like myself celebrated all over the world beginning on 9/12. 

Back to bread and water, and no—it’s not about prison food either. If you’re still confused, I don’t blame you, but will attempt (no guarantees) to explain it all—which might help me understand what I’m writing about, too. 

It’s a religious ritual, known as Tashlich, which involves tossing crumbs into a body of water, symbolizing the act of casting away one’s sins. It serves as a physical reminder of the intention to return to one’s true self and seek forgiveness.

As usual, I think I know what I’m writing about (uh oh) but checked in with the Google, to ensure that I get the salient points right.

1. Location: Tashlich should be performed near a body of water.
2. Timing: While it can be done on Rosh Hashanah, it is also appropriate to perform it during the Ten Days of Repentance leading up to Yom Kippur.

According to www.myjewishlearning.com, “this ritual emphasizes the importance of reflection and repentance in the lead-up to Yom Kippur, enhancing the spiritual preparation for the Day of Atonement.”

These days, I don’t often find myself in temple, but consider myself “culturally Jewish,” which is a term describing people “who feel connected to Jewish life through holiday customs and family traditions like food (duh), humor, music, literature and history.”

According to a page I stumbled upon, known simply as “fivable.me,” a person can be culturally Jewish and “still see Judaism as central to who they are, because their identity comes from belonging to a people with a shared past.”

I like that. 

OK, then—moving on. One of my earliest memories of Jewish life involves attending Yom Kippur services at Temple Concord in Binghamton, NY. It was there that the congregation gathered as one and followed our beloved Rabbi Schagrin down to the banks of the Susquehanna River, where he would lead us in prayer before we (you guessed it) cast bread on the waters.

I have followed that tradition my entire life, grateful that I have always lived in close proximity to a body of water. The underlying symbolism of the bread/water thing is that we are “casting our sins away, to be carried off by rushing water.” I also remember being told that fish eat the bread and as a result it feeds another soul and is then renewed. 

Naturally there might be ducks or geese on the lake as well, and while we might have been ignorant during my childhood regarding the pitfalls of feeding bread to our feathered friends, we know better now, which gave me pause.

“Oy, now what do we do?” I asked Gidget, who shrugged and held her boney close, as if to say “Mine, mine, mine!”

Before heading down to the lake at sunset, I went back to the Google for more virtual assistance.

“Practicing Tashlich with bread crumbs can be dangerous for geese, ducks and other waterfowl,” was the confirmation laid out online. “It keeps them from eating the food that is nutritious for them, and it spreads disease. So, how should people practice the important tradition of casting away sins without doing harm in the process? We asked some rabbis about their environmentally friendly Tashlich practices.”

“‘A member of our congregation taught us that bread crumbs are bad for animals,’ said Rabbi Cory Weiss, of Temple Har Zion, located in Thornhill, Ontario, ‘and since then, we’ve used untreated wood chips. It works very well!’” Hmm. 

Another response, from Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker in Southington, CT, also provided food (not bread) for thought: “‘I use the stones that go into the bottom of a fish tank. They are small pebbles, come in colors, do not harm the water, and are not ingested by fish. I buy a bag,’ the Rabbi shared, ‘and use a small cup to ladle out handfuls to congregants. Individuals find a place at the water’s edge and throw them when they are ready.’”

Also interesting, but I was still holding onto that whole feeding my “sins” to the fish and ducks, and that circle-of-life-cycle notion. So I pondered what small edible nuggets might serve my purposes without harming any living thing. 

“What about corn?” Gidget suggested. “I like corn.” 

Yes, corn is perfectly safe (without the cob) in small amounts for dogs, and as it turns out, is also OK for fish, geese and ducks. 

“Eureka! I have found it!” I exclaimed, since it satisfied my criteria: small, individual pieces of something edible that could be consumed by waterfowl and fish without harming them. 

Additionally the kernels could be used, one by one, to represent the myriad sins that I’d like to cast upon the waters, thereby giving me a fresh slate with which to begin anew. 

And off we went to the shores of Kauneonga Lake in beautiful Bethel, NY. The dog left her boney at home, but I hauled a somewhat large bucket of corn with which to cast off my “myriad of sins.” While I might not be overtly devout these days, the sunset that evening was practically a religious experience in itself and I snapped a pic or two in between tossing literally dozens (“I’m no saint,” I thought, mixing my religious metaphors willy-nilly) of kernels.

The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is often described as a time when “our judgment hangs in the balance.” On Rosh Hashanah we are written in the Book of Life. During the “Ten Days of Repentance,” our fate remains open, and on Yom Kippur our fate is “sealed” and a new cycle begins. It’s not exactly a “get out of jail free” card, but it’s close. In my humble opinion. 

*Dedicated to my Jewish tradition-loving friend-since-childhood Steve Lubs (5/23/54-8/28/26) Forever written into the Book of Life.