new piyyut for 5786, response to Gaza war

[David Seidenberg]



Download link for pdf:  neohasid.org/resources/5786/ 

Text and translation follow.

This piyyut 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 even more clear that war was being driven not by the hostages or even by eliminating Hamas, but rather by Netanyahu's fractious coalition and its fascist members and elements eager to "cleanse" and colonize Gaza. I am also responding to the many examples of the glee to destroy that accompanied some soldiers' desire to punish all of Gaza, expressed in song, tik tok, etc., and the repeated declarations made by some Hardal rabbis that all of Gaza is Amalek, and the careless way of taking life by sniper and drone, and the hunger that is denied but anyway is "their fault", and the apparent desire to truly flatten Gaza. I 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 true above all is the sin enumerated in the Syrian Vidui Hagadol (big confession): Lo Bacharta Bachayyim, we did not choose life. 

Download at: neohasid.org/resources/5786/.

 

Gmar chatimah Tovah, may it be a better year

~ Rabbi David Seidenberg

P.S. Reminder: neohasid.org/resources/high_holidays for High Holiday resources including Hu Ya'aneinu; and neohasid.org/resources/sukkot for Sukkot resources. Also don't forget neohasid's prayer for the land and the state of Israel, especially the third paragraph - neohasid.org/resources/Prayer-state .

״אֵיךְ אֶשְׁאָל״

a piyyut for 5786 responding to the war in Gaza

(Note: this poem uses some piyyut forms that are not normal Hebrew, like "Artzakh" instead of "Artzekha" or "Beit" instead of "Bayit". "Asireha", referring to the hostages, echoes Yehudah Halevi's poem "Tsiyon halo tish'ali lsh'lom asirayikh".)

״אֵיךְ אֶשְׁאָל״ ~ פיוט לתשרי תשפ״ו

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?

רֹאשֵׁי 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!

כְּאִלוּ 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 rolled off 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. The heads of your people were cruel, like cruel desert birds (Lam 3:4); for such great damage 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. As if 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. So let us search out her captives and pursue Peace; by such merit, forgiveness for us may ascend

URL = neohasid.org/resources/5786/