Category Archives: Piyut

Some Notes on Yannai and Pesach: Between Exegesis and Received Traditions

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

Given this blog’s general preference for piyyutim of the Qaliri, it seems like the approaching holiday of Passover would be an appropriate time to discuss the work of his predecessor (and according to some traditions, his teacher) Yannai. Thanks to … Continue reading →

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A Payytanic Quiz for Hanukkah – “The Answers”

Posted on December 16, 2012 by

Hanukkah is almost over and it is time to publish the “answers” to the quiz. I put answers in quotation marks since it is not always clear what the payytan meant or was referring to, but this is the case, … Continue reading →

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A Payytanic Quiz for Hanukkah

Posted on December 9, 2012 by

Hebrew liturgical poems (piyyutim) only rarely relate to halakhic matters. However, we do have one intriguing piyyut for Hanukkah that enumerates laws concerning the candle lighting during the days of the feast. This piyyut is attributed in Genizah manuscripts to … Continue reading →

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Two Unusual Traditions in Piyyutim for Shavuot

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Shavout is just around the corner and I present in this post two most unusual traditions that appear in piyyutim for the holiday: Were Hillel and Shamai brothers? On June 8, 1951 Menachem Zulay published in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz two late … Continue reading →

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The Afghani ‘Geniza’

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

A few months ago, news broke in the Israeli media of an important manuscript trove that was discovered in Afghanistan. A spate of articles appeared in the press, each one covering just a bit more than the one prior it. … Continue reading →

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Piyyut and Modern Hebrew Poetry – The Passover Connection

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

It is well known that modern Hebrew poetry makes extensive use of the Bible and to a lesser extent of rabbinic literature. What is less known is the role of liturgical texts and poetry in the modern poetic corpus. In … Continue reading →

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Tu Bishvat as Judgement Day in a Poem by Aharon Mirsky

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

Tu Bishvat (the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat), which is celebrated today, is also known as the New Year of the Trees. This festive date appears for the first time in tractate Rosh Hashana (The New Year) of the … Continue reading →

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Hanukkah and Piyyut (Part 3)

Posted on December 29, 2011 by

The third and last (albeit slightly belated) installment of the series on Hanukkah and Piyyut (Part 1, Part 2). In the days of the Geonim (i.e., the Babylonian sages that followed the rabbis of the Talmud), individuals and communities sent … Continue reading →

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Hanukkah and Piyyut (Part 2)

Posted on December 24, 2011 by

In the first part of this series I discussed an intriguing “historical” tradition in a piyyut by Elazar Birabi Qilir. In this second part I turn to an interesting juxtaposition of the cosmos and the Tabernacle in another piyyut for … Continue reading →

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Hanukkah and Piyyut (Part 1)

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

Hanukkah begins today and since I have been working for some years now on Hebrew liturgical poems for this feast, I thought it would be nice to share with the readers of the Talmud Blog some interesting bits and pieces … Continue reading →

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