Ventura County Star

Rabbi Moshe Bryski blows the shofar at the end of the Tashlich walk to Westlake Lake on Monday afternoon for Rosh Hashana. Photo by VCS reporter.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, began Sunday evening with services at synagogues throughout Ventura County. Tashlich ceremonies, in which congregations walked to the nearest body of water, took place Monday, along with the blowing of the shofar. “We visit a body of water to symbolically cast our sins into the ocean, free of negativity,” said Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Chabad of the Conejo.

The Valley’s Jews Usher in New Year

Ventura County Star

Rabbi Moshe Bryski blows the shofar at the end of the Tashlich walk to Westlake Lake on Monday afternoon for Rosh Hashana. Photo by VCS reporter.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, began Sunday evening with services at synagogues throughout Ventura County. Tashlich ceremonies, in which congregations walked to the nearest body of water, took place Monday, along with the blowing of the shofar. “We visit a body of water to symbolically cast our sins into the ocean, free of negativity,” said Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Chabad of the Conejo.

The water must have fish, “which is a sign of blessings multiplying as we bless each other. And the fish swim in it together, and the unity is a symbolism of the holidays.”

The two-day celebration, which ends Tuesday night, is part of the Jewish High Holy Days and the start of the month of Tishri on the Jewish calendar. It is a time of reflection and celebration, Bryski said.

“There is the blowing of the shofar — the blowing of the ram’s horn — which reminds us of the coronation of God the king,” he said. “Each year, we coronate God to be our king to remind us of our allegiance to God, to serve him and mankind.”

After the waterside ceremony, at which bread is cast onto the water and the shofar rings out, there is usually a celebratory meal.

“It’s a family feast,” Bryski said. “Most of the recipes will have something sweet in them. They all have honey or sugar. The most popular food that exemplifies Rosh Hashana is apples dipped in honey, which is a sign of sweetness in the coming year. Challah, the traditional sweet, braided bread, also is served, with its shape a reminder of a crown.”

But the holiday, while celebratory, also is a time for reflection, because Rosh Hashana is followed by 10 days of repentance ending in Yom Kippur, a 25-hour period of atonement and fasting.

“Once we coronate God, we think: ‘Oh, my goodness, we haven’t been the best in the past. We need to do better in the future,’ which leads us into the spirit of Yom Kippur,” Bryski said. “There is a seriousness of the holiday of Rosh Hashana.”

The Chabad of the Conejo Tashlich walk, which has been going on for 30 years, began at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel. Congregants went to Westlake Lake in what Bryski described as “the picturesque scene of hundreds of Jewish families walking the streets of Westlake Village on the holiday.”

Chabad of Oxnard held a shofar sounding and Tashlich ceremony Monday afternoon near the beach.

5 Comments

  • Boychick

    They should have never let the photos be taken on YT. I saw this in the local Ventura Ca. paper and I was shocked myself.

  • kiddush hashem

    They do not tell the Newspapers in advance. They just show up. They come every year. There are so many signs all over the neighborhood regarding their Rosh Hashona program and Tashlich walk that journalist don’t need prior notice or permission. Tashlich is held at a public lake and the entire community walks 10-15 blocks thru busy traffic to get there. Trust me, Rabbi Bryski did not alert the newspaper for a photo op….they just showed up. G’mar Chasima Tova!

  • Bochur

    Go bryskis! U guys continue to inspie all around u.. Do u really think he asked the newspaper ppl to come? Why dont u stop judging and give the benefit of the doubt. Go rabbi bryski! Ur truly inspiring