Substitutes for Bread in Tashlich

Question

Is there any requirement to toss bread in the water during Tashlich? In recent years, I have heard a lot of people say that tossing bread in the water is ecologically bad, and that pebbles or leaves should be substituted.

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Throwing out crumbs (not pieces of bread, per se) is a custom. There is no absolute necessity to do so and the Tefillot of Tashlich can be recited without throwing anything into the water. Hashem will still hear the Tefillot.

    Having said that, I am not quite sure why throwing breadcrumbs into a stream or a lake could be ecologically unsound. The fish are always happy to be able to eat them. And if there are no fish, breadcrumbs are completely biodegradable.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team