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)
neohasid.org was launched on the 10th anniversary of the first Chasidic egalitarian minyan, founded by Rabbi David Seidenberg in NYC in 1995. Its first aim was to help people integrate Chasidic customs, learning, and nusach into new contexts. Over time, neohasid has added eco-Torah and earth-centered liturgy, as well as gender-liberating liturgy, to its mission, and neohasid.org was also a founding member of the Green Hevra represented at many Jewish environmental events. neohasid.org is dedicated to the memory of Maidi Katz, who was a devoted participant in that minyan.
Here is a prayer for democracy and against tyranny, everywhere, with Ukraine and the U.S. foremost in mind. It can be recited in the prayer against minim in the Amidah. I also say it everytime I open my News feed app. This prayer is based on the 2004 version of neohasid's voting prayer. Click here for a PDF or here for a JPG.
May You tear out autocracy, tyranny and despotism,
ruin those who cheat and deceive,
and upend those who oppress the vulnerable.
Make the reign of the arrogant disappear from all lands.
May the people attacking democracies everywhere stumble and fail,
and may their plans be as nought.
Stop them, humble them, bring on their downfall, soon, in our days.
May You give to all peoples the strength and will
to pursue righteousness and seek peace as a unified force,
so that violence be uprooted, and healing, good life
and peace may flourish.
May God help the United States throw off the forces arrayed against democracy, and may God let Ukraine triumph over Russian imperialism. May the Palestinians attain freedom and democracy, and may Israel act and be seen as a force for making that happen.
Here are the lyrics to Shimshai's song video based on Hoshea 2:20:
V'kharati lahem brit bayom hahu im chayat hasadeh v’im of hashamayim v’remes ha’adamah
v’keshet v’cherev umilchamah eshbor min ha’aretz v’hishkavtim lavetach
On that day, I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the birds of the skies, and all creatures that crawl on the Earth,
and bow and sword and war I will break from the land, so that they all will lay down in safety.
Music by Shimshai with Assi Rose on accordion. You can listen to another version of this song by Amen here!
Kabbalah and Ecology: God's Image in the More-Than-Human World
