[Avodah] Why "Tashlich" and not Hashlachah?

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:36pm +0200, R Arie Folger wrote:
:                                                               Well,
: if you think about it, it is a prayer we speak, wherein we ask *G"d*
: to cast away our sins, i.e. to forgive us. However, we have no more the
: ability to throw our sins into the water than the fish have the ability
: to eat and digest them without desert.

: Of course, this nonsesical idea of throwing the sins to the fish (why
: not to the birds?) clearly appeals a lot to hoi paloi who find it much
: easier than actually working on one's self improvement, repenting and
: mending one's relationship to G"d.

I don't think you have the etiology quite right in the seifa. The reisha
identifies the tefillah as asking Hashem to forgive us. It's an appeal
to the 13 middos as mirrored in seifer Mikhah (Mi Keil kamokha...) Not
a statement of dedication to work at it.

I once wrote about the havtachah of the 13 middos necessitating
emulating them, but that's not really the centerpiece in a tefillah
named for "vesashlich bimtzulos yam kol chatasam".

(See <http://www.aishdas.org/10YemeiTeshuvah.pdf>, last essay.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

PS: If you do download that PDF, RJJB pointed out that it could use
further editing. So, I'm collecting feedback and suggestions.

-- 
Micha Berger             "The most prevalent illness of our generation is
micha at aishdas.org        excessive anxiety....  Emunah decreases anxiety:
http://www.aishdas.org   'The Almighty is my source of salvation;  I will
Fax: (270) 514-1507      trust and not be afraid.'" (Isa 12) -Shalhevesya