As we move through the Jewish High Holidays, we have the opportunity to undergo a deep reflection process. Are we living in line with our values? Are we in flow with our purpose? Are we embodying our truth? If not, what is in our way? How can we bring awareness and care to what is blocking our progress, without letting it stand in our way or repressing it?
This free workshop will examine these questions through meditation, contemplation and discussion, helping us prepare for the beautiful, ancient Jewish ritual of Tashlich. All are welcome – no Jewish or meditation background is necessary. Bring a cushion or chair to sit on and your bravery, honesty and presence to the discussion!
After the meditation, we will walk to the waterfront to be led by Rabbi Scott Perlo of Romemu Brooklyn in Tashlich.
Meditation: 2:00 pm
All Ages Tashlich Ceremony: 3:15 pm
Tashlich is a Jewish ritual performed during the High Holy Days. The word “Tashlich” in Hebrew means “casting away.” During Tashlich, individuals or communities traditionally gather by a flowing body of water and symbolically cast away their mis-alignments and regrets from the past year by reciting prayers and tossing bread or pebbles into the water. This act is intended to represent a spiritual cleansing, a letting go before beginning again in the coming year.
Into the Water is an embodied, completely free opportunity to be present, thoughtful, and reflective at the most meaningful moment of the Jewish year. Please note, only your misdeeds will go into the water; Brooklyn Bridge Park asks that you remain on dry land.
Rabbi Scott Perlo is the Rabbi at Romemu Brooklyn, and a leader in the field of Jewish open outreach. Rabbi Perlo was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2008. He is a veteran of multiple cutting-edge Jewish communities, having served as a rabbi at 92NY, Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, rabbi-in-residence at Moishe House and The Professional Leaders Project, and intern at IKAR in Los Angeles. Scott leads trips for Honeymoon Israel, was a founding member of the Jewish Emergent Network and is a Wexner Field Fellow. A regular writer, Rabbi Perlo has been published in The Washington Post, The Forward and The Huffington Post, among other publications.
Yael Shy is the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she teaches and consults on mindfulness for universities, corporations, and private clients around the world. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the US. Yael is a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification and has over 20 years of meditation practice experience. She is Adjunct Faculty at New York University and has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, Fox 5 News, and in Time Magazine and the Harvard Business Review. Connect with Yael at yaelshy.com and @yaelshy1 on Instagram.
