The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 

A piyyut for 5786 responding to the war in Gaza

This piyyut (liturgical poem) is a response to what I think of as the second war with Gaza since October 7, the one started on March 18, 2025, when Israel broke the ceasefire. At that point it became incontrovertible that war was being driven not by the hostages or even by eliminating Hamas, but rather by Netanyahu's coalition and its fascist members and elements eager to colonize Gaza. I am also responding to the many many examples of the glee to destroy that accompanied some soldiers' desire to punish all of Gaza, expressed in song, tik tok, etc., the repeated declaration made by various Hardal rabbis that all of Gaza is Amalek, and the apparent careless way of taking life by sniper and drone. I have put those feelings in the first person, in the spirit of all of us taking responsibility for any of our sins, as a community. What is real above all is the sin enumerated in the Syrian Vidui Hagadol: "Lo Bacharta Bachayyim, We did not choose Life."

Note: this uses some piyyut forms that are not normal Hebrew, like "Artzakh" instead of "Artzekha" or "Beit" instead of "Bayit".

״אֵיךְ אֶשְׁאָל״
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אֵיךְ אֶשְׁאָל לְגַלֵּל הָחֶרְפָּה מֵעָלַי וְעֵדוּתֶיךָ לֹא נָצָרְתִי
הֲסַּכִּין בְּיָדִי בְּעַדִי עֲדַיִין וְאֶדְרֹשׁ מְחִילָה מֵאֵת פִּיךָ לִי
לְהַכּוֹת אֶגְרוֹף הַמְחָאָה בַּחֲזֶה, לְבַקֵּשׁ מֵעֵדִי בּוּז תָּסִיר מֵעָלַי
עַמְּךָ לְאַכְזָר כַּיְעֵנִים בַּמִּדְבָּר, מִגּוֹדֶל נֶזֶק הַמְּחָבְּלִים עָלַי
כְּפוּל כְּפָלִים נָמְטִיר עֲלֵיהֶם כִּי קָטְלוּ הָאֵם שַׁד בְּפִי יְּנִיקָה
אָז אָמַרְנוּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשׂוּ לִי אָסוֹן, אֶעֱשֶׂה כֵּן גַּם אֲנֹכִי לָהֶם
וְהֶרֶס הֵהָרֵס בֵּית וּבִנְיָן לְאָבָק, מַחְלָקָה וְרוֹפֵא, בְּאֹהָל פְּלִיטֵי פְּצָצָה
לִשְׁמֹעַ ״אוֹיְבַי כִּלָּם״ מִגְּרוֹנָם וְקוֹל צַעֲקָה שֶׁהֵרִים מִפִּיהֶם
קוֹלֵינוּ קוֹל עֵשָׂו נֶעֶשָׂה לֵאמֹר מֵחֶטְאָם הָאָשָׁם עֲלוֹת, הוּא לֹא לָנוּ
וְהֵיכִי לְשִׁמְךָ תֵּן כְּבוֹד חָסְדֶךָ וְכִי יְדֵי יַעֲקֹב חַרְבֵי בָּרְזֶל הֵעָשׂוּ
הִגָלֶה וְרָפֵּא פְּצוּעֵי לִבָבֵנוּ שֶׁנְתָּקֵן עָמִים אֶת אָרְצָךְ עִם עוֹלְמֵנוּ
אָז נִדְרֹש אֲסִירֶיהָ וּנְּבָקֵשׁ הַשָּׁלוֹם וְיַעֲלֶה בִּזְכוּת סְלִיחָתֵנוּ

“Eikh esh’al - How can I ask?” A piyyut responding to the war
1. How can I ask that the disgrace be lifted from me, when I have not preserved Your testimonies? (Psalm 119:22)
2. With the blade still in my hand, for my purpose, would I yet seek forgiveness from Your mouth for me?
3. To strike with protesting fist upon my breast; to seek, from my Witness — “Lift the scorn from me.”
4. Your people have grown cruel, like cruel birds of the desert (Lam 3:4); great is the damage that terrorists wrought upon me.
5. Double, redoubled I shall pour upon them, for they slew the mother, while breast nursed child –
6. So we said: as was done to me, such calamity, so shall I do unto them. (Deut 12:30)
7. Destruction — destroying house and building to dust, hospital ward and doctor, in tents those who fled the bombs.
8. In order to hear “my enemies finished them all” (Lam 2:22) from their throats, and a voice screaming out (Gen 27:34), rising from their mouths.
9. Our voice has become the voice of Esau (Gen 27:22), saying: “from their sin rises the guilt — it is not ours.”
10. Then how shall Your Name receive the glory of Your steadfast love (Psalm 115:1), when the hands of Jacob, becoming iron swords, have done all this?
11. Reveal and heal the wounds of our hearts, that we all, the peoples, may restore Your land along with our world.
12. Then we will search out her captives and pursue Peace, so by such merit, forgiveness for us may ascend.

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