Tashlich and Fish

Q. At Tashlich, is one permitted to throw crumbs to the fish?

A. It is documented that there was a very old practice of throwing crumbs to the fish during Tashlich. Apparently, the purpose was to demonstrate that we are throwing away our sins to be consumed by the fish. However, throughout the generations, poskim have condemned and opposed this practice. The Maharil (14th century; Minhagim – Rosh Hashanah 9) wrote that it is forbidden to bring crumbs to Tashlich to throw to the fish, since one is not permitted to feed wild fish on Yom Tov. This is echoed by the Mateh Efraim (598:5). Moreover, the Shelah Hakadosh writes emphatically that one should not think that we are actually throwing our aveiros into the sea, and it is a chillul Hashem to tell the gentiles who ask what we are doing that we are discarding our sins. The only way to cleanse ourselves of our sins is through sincere teshuvah.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.