With an Ancient Synagogue Poet, at the Bibas Funeral

As I write this, the Bibas family is moving slowly through the assembly of Israel to their family grave.

For months— nearly years— since October 7–I have had every possible emotional response to our continuing trauma, from anger to depression, from silence to tears.

For all of this time, I have been writing, sometimes frantically— day by day, week by week, page after page, footnote after painful footnote. I have been writing about ancient history, about the destruction of the Temple by Titus. For our rabbis, Hazal, Titus was the canvas upon which they reflected on the worst tragedy in Jewish history— before the 20th century. Feeling October 7, I write about Tisha be-Av.

In version after version of this story, written over centuries, our ancestors faced the trauma of 70 CE forthrightly, retelling the story of Titus’ entry and defilement of the Temple as they coped with the results of that evil.

I have sat in my New York apartment, in my office, in cafes, in class, in Rome and in Jerusalem with students and family, pouring over these ancient texts to understand them as our ancestors did. I have searched them for insights that could help me to make sense of our troubled world. There are many.

As I have followed the fate of the Bibas family and watched their funeral today from afar, one particular author keeps jumping out at me. For me, this is a time to listen to the sixth century synagogue poet named Rabbi Eleazar haQalir.

This author provides no consolation, no hope, no trite path forward. Rather, Qalir demands that we face these debilitating moments directly.

Qalir’s poem, called “Remember what the Persecutor did Within (the Temple),” is one of many composed for the Fast of Tisha be-Av. Ashkenazim recite it in the morning.

“Remember what the persecutor did within (the Temple)” tells the story of Titus’ intrusion, his bombastic desecration and destruction of all that is holy, and ends with the mass suicide of young Jews taken as slaves— sex slaves— by drowning. He describes God crouching behind a wall— the elders are resigned and feckless:

…The elders trembled, for he [Titus] was empowered from the Heavens (mi-shehakim),

to do His will, and He [God] is bound in fetters (ba-zikim).

…He [God] watched from behind our wall, but He did not fight His own fight (rivo).

After each stanza, after each a new trauma, the audience responded with its own outpouring of pain.

“Woe unto me, my mother” (Imi, Jeremiah 15:9),

at the destruction of the daughter of my people” (‘Ami, Lamentations 3:48).

Through it all, God is silent, painfully silent. The Creator of the Universe is small, so small that some moderns turn their eyes away from the pain of Qalir and soften his fury in translation.

Qalir is furious— and he wants us to be as well. He holds our heads as if in a vice, and forces us to watch and live the traumas of  July, 70 CE. No consolation, no pulling away.

Reading this poem— out loud— I experience Qalir’s  fury— at Titus, perhaps at the elders of our poem, certainly at the creatures who murdered the Bibas boys with their bare hands. Yes, at God.

Qalir, and with him, our Rabbis, of blessed memory, give us emotional permission to mourn, to struggle, to be angry with our teachers, our politicians, our ancestors, and with our God.

Other emotions are for other times. The bodies are not yet buried.

Rabbinic stories of  Titus provide lots of reason for hope, even laughter— but not today. Today, as I sit in my study, I am furious, despondent, and with Qalir’s ancient audience, cry out:

אוי לי אמי, על שבר בת עמי

“Woe unto me, my mother,”

at the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

יהי זכרם ברוך

1. זכור אשר עש צר בפנים,*

ושלף חרבו ובא לפני ולפנים,

נחלתינו ביער וחלל לחם הפנים,

וגדר שתי פרכות בעלת שתי פנים.

אוי לי אמי, על שבר בת עמי

2. יתומים גיעל מגן מאדם,

וימדד קו כמראה אדמדם,

מימינו דלח והשכיר  חציו מדם,

ויצא מן הבית חרבו מלאהֶדם.

אוי לי

3. על צוארינו הוות גבר,

ונטה אל אל ידו למולו לגבר,

מצרים וכל לאום אם בם גבר,

אני בתוך איוייו ארוץ אליו בצואר.

[אוי לי]

4. אבותינו זרה כהכניסו בחוריו אכלה אש,

וזה זונה הכניס ולא נכוה אש,

עבדים חתו בסוכו לבת אש,

ולמה  בבית אש ממרום שלח אש.

[אוי לי]

5. בנפשינו טבענו כהוציא כלי שרת,

ושמם באני שייט בם להשרת,

עורנו ייקד כהשכים משרת,

ולא מצא תשעים ושלשה כלי שרת.

[אוי לי]

6. נשים כשרו כי בא עריץ,

ובקרקע הבית נעליו החריץ,

שרים לופתו בדמם להריץ,

ובבית קדש הקדשים צחנתו השריץ.

[אוי לי]

7. בחורים מבחוץ צגו מחוזקים,

ותרו כי יוזק בששים ריבוא מזיקים,

זקינים נבעתו כהרשוהו חזקים,

עשות רצונו והוא אסור בזיקים.

[אוי לי]

8. שבת סוטם ויבוא אדמון,

ויסובב חומה ויעוות המון,

נפלה עברה על בת פיצל ערמון,

עת כי נוטש מדוק ארמון.

[אוי לי]

9. על פתח הר הבית החל לבוא,

וביד ארבעת טפסריו נתנו להחריבו,

על צד המערבי לזיכר השריד בו,

וצג אחר כותלינו ולא רב ריבו.

[אוי לי]

10. אתה קצפתה והרשיתה גוים לפנות,

ילדים אשר אין בהם כל מום מביתך פנות,

למה רגשו גוים ולא שעתה פנות,

ושילחם לארץ עוץ בשלש ספינות.

[אוי לי]

11.״השיבנו״ שיוועו כבאו בנבכי ים.

ושיתפו עצמם יחד לנפול בים,

שיר ותושבחות שוררו כעל ים,

כי עליך הורגנו עד מצולות ים.

[אוי לי]

12. כי תהומות באו עד נפשן,

״כל זאת באתנו״ חילו לממשן,

תקוותם נתנו למשיב מבשן,

ובת קול השמעה ״עורה למה תישן.״

1. Remember what the persecutor did within (the Temple, be-fanim. Zechariah 14:10),

he drew his sword and he entered deep within (lifenai ve-lifnim).

He burned our heritage, and defiled the Bread of the Presence (leḥem ha-panim),

and he gashed two curtains, each with two [finished] faces (shetai fanim).

“Woe unto me, my mother” (Imi, Jeremiah 15:9),

at the destruction of the daughter of my people” (‘Ami, Lamentations 3:48).

2. Orphans [i.e., Israel] he scorned with his bloodied shield (me-adam, Nahum 2:4),

and measured out a line [for execution] that appeared bloody red (adamdam).

He fouled our waters and made his arrows drunk with blood (me-dam),

when he left the House, his sword was full of blood (maleh dam).

We unto me….

3. On our napes, he stood triumphant (gevar),

and he raised his hand against God, over Him in triumph (la-gever),

Egypt and all other nations, over them He triumphed (gavar),

but I [Titus] inside His precious Temple, will run up to him in triumph (be-tzavar, Job 15:26).

[We unto me….]

4. Our fathers: the sons [of Aaron] brought illicit [fire], they were consumed by fire (esh),

this one [Titus] brought in a whore, and was not engulfed in fire. (esh),

Slaves raked His Tabernacle with flames of fire (esh),

why upon the house of [sacrificial] fire, from heaven did He send fire (esh)?

[We unto me….]

5. Our spirits sank when he [Titus] removed the service vessels (klei sharet),

and put them on sailing ships, with them to be served (le-hashret).

Our skin burned, when the high priest awakened to serve (me-sharet),

and did not find the required ninety-three service vessels (klei sharet)

[We unto me….]

6. Women stared at the approach of the tyrant (areetz),

as he scarred the floor of the Temple with [the nails of] his shoes (heḥreetz)

Dignitaries panicked at the arrival of the oppressor (le-hareetz)

in the Holy of Holies, his stench he swarmed (hishreetz).

[We unto me….]

7. Youths outside stood with resolve (mehuzakim),

and imagined that he [Titus] would be destroyed

by six-hundred thousand destroyers (mazikim)

The elders trembled, for he [Titus] was empowered from the Heavens (mi-shehakim),

to do His will, and He [God] is bound in fetters (ba-zikim).

[We unto me….]

8. The accuser [Babylon— Nebuchadnezzer] left, and came Admon [Rome— Titus],

encircling the walls and undermining the multitude (hamon).

Wrath befell the grand daughter of Pitzel [Jacob], ‘Armon,

when the palace was abandoned from on High (armon).

[We unto me….]

9. At the gate of the Temple Mount he began his approach (la-vo),

ordering his four generals to destroy it (le-haḥrivo).

On the western side as a rememberance, he left a remnant (vo),

He [God] watched from behind our wall, but He did not fight His own fight (rivo).

[We unto me….]

10. You jumped and permitted gentiles to deport [us] (le-fanot),

children without any blemish, from your House to deport (fanot).

Why did the nations storm, and you didn’t stop the deportation? (fenot),

and he sent them to the land of Uz, in three ships (sefinot).

[We unto me….]

11. “Bring us back,” they pleaded, as they sailed the expanse of the sea (yam, Job 38:16),

and they joined together to fall into the sea (yam).

Songs and praises they sang as at the Sea (of Reeds, yam),

for Your sake we are slain in the depths of the sea (yam).

[We unto me….]

12. For the deep waters nearly drowned them (nafshan),

“All this has come upon us [and we have not forgotten you]” (Ps. 44:18) they implored their Creator (le-mamashan).

They placed their hope in Him who will return them from Bashan, (mi-bashan, Ps. 68:23),

and a faint voice was heard, “Awake, why do You sleep?” (teishan, Psalm 44:24).

[We unto me….]

—

This text follows the best manuscript version, sometimes deviating slightly from printed editions.