A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט, IPA: [pijút] and [pijutím]) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Jewish services ( Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah; plural תפלות, tefillos or tefillot; Yinglish: davening Piyyutim have been written since Temple times. Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name Most piyyutim are in Hebrew or Aramaic, and most follow some poetic scheme, such as an acrostic following the order of the Hebrew alphabet or spelling out the name of the author. Aramaic is a Semitic language with An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, "top" and stíchos, "verse" is a Poem or other Writing The Hebrew alphabet (אָלֶף-בֵּית עִבְרִי alephbet ’ivri) consists of 22 letters used for writing the Hebrew language.
Many piyyutim are familiar to regular attendees of synagogue services. For example, the best-known piyyut may be Adon Olam ("Master of the World"), sometimes attributed to Solomon ibn Gabirol in 11th century Spain. Solomon ibn Gabirol, also Solomon ben Judah ( שלמה בן יהודה אבן גבירול, Shelomo ben Yehuda ibn Gevirol; أبو أيوب سليمان Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its poetic form consists simply of rhyming iambic tetrameter, and it is so beloved that it is often sung at the conclusion of many synagogue services, after the ritual nightly saying of the Shema, and during the morning ritual of putting on tefillin. Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisroel or just Shema) ( Hebrew: שמע ישראל "Hear Israel" are the first two words of a section of Tefillin, ( תפילין) also called phylacteries, are a pair of black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with biblical verses Another well-beloved piyyut is Yigdal ("May God be Hallowed"), which is based upon the Thirteen Principles of Faith developed by Maimonides. Although Jews and religious leaders share a core of monotheistic principles Judaism has no formal statement of principles of faith such as a Creed or Catechism Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and
The author of a piyyut is known as a paytan (plural paytanim).
Well-known piyyutim
What follows is a chart of some of the best-known and most-beloved piyyutim. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it tries to provide a flavor of the variety of poetic schemes and occasions for which these poems were written. Many of the piyyutim marked as being recited on Shabbat are songs traditionally sung as part of the home ritual observance of Shabbat and also known as zemirot ("Songs/Melodies"). Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath
| Name | Hebrew | Poetic scheme | Recited on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adir Hu | אַדִּיר הוּא | Alphabetic acrostic | Passover |
| Adon Olam | אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם | Iambic tetrametre | Daily |
| An'im Z'mirot | Double alphabetic acrostic | Shabbat and Festivals | |
| Akdamut | Double alphabetic acrostic, then spells out "Meir, son of Rabbi Yitzchak, may he grow in Torah and in good deeds. See also Passover songs Adir Hu (English Mighty is He Hebrew אדיר הוּא is a hymn sung by Jews worldwide at the Passover Seder. Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish Adon Olam ( אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם; "Lord of the World" is one of the few strictly metrical hymns in the Jewish liturgy, the nobility of the diction of An iamb or iambus is a Metrical foot used in various types of Poetry. Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays see Jewish holidays 2000-2050. Akdamut, or Akdamut Milin or Akdamus Milin ( Hebrew: אקדמות מילין "In Introduction to the Words" term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Amen, and may he be strong and have courage. " The author was Rabbi Meir bar Yitzchak "Shatz" | Shavuot | |
| Barukh El Elyon | Acrostic spells "Baruch Chazak", or "Blessed be he, with strength", or possibly "Baruch" is the author's name | Shabbat | |
| Berah Dodi | berach דודי | Every stanza begins with the word "Berah" | Passover |
| D'ror Yikra | Acrostic spells "Dunash," the name of author Dunash ben Labrat. Shavuot (or Shavuos, in Ashkenazi usage Hebrew: שבועות, lit Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish Dunash ha-Levi ben Labrat (920-990 ( Hebrew: דוֹנָש הלוי בֵּן לָבְרָט Arabic: دناش بن لبراط was a medieval Jewish commentator | Shabbat | |
| Ein Keloheinu | אין כאלהינו | First letters of first 3 stanzas spell "Amen" | Shabbat and Festivals |
| El Adon | Alphabetic acrostic | Shabbat and Festivals | |
| El Nora Alila | Refrain: "At this hour of Ne'ilah" | Ne'ilah (conclusion of Yom Kippur) | |
| Alei Tziyon | Iambic tetrameter; alphabetic acrostic; each stanza beings with the word alei; each line ends with the suffix -eiha (meaning "her" or "of hers", referring to Jerusalem | Tisha B'av | |
| Geshem | Alphabetic acrostic; each stanza ends with standard alternating line | Sh'mini Atzeret | |
| Hakafot | Alphabetic acrostic | Simchat Torah | |
| Hayom T'am'tzenu | Alphabetic acrostic, each line ends "Amen" | Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | |
| Hoshanot | Alphabetic acrostic | Sukkot | |
| Ki Hinne Ka-Homer | Refrain: "Recall the Covenant, and do not turn towards the Evil Inclination" | Yom Kippur | |
| Ki Lo Na'e | Alphabetic acrostic | Passover | |
| L'kha Dodi | לְכָה דּוֹדִי | Acrostic spells name of author, Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz. Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath Ein Keloheinu (in Hebrew: אין כאלהינו) means "there is none like our God " and is a well known Jewish Hymn. The word Amen (; آمين, ’Āmīn; "So be it truly" Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays see Jewish holidays 2000-2050. Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays see Jewish holidays 2000-2050. Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Tisha B'Av (תשעה באב or he ט׳ באב "the Ninth of Av," is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day ( Tisha Geshem (גשם is one of the Hebrew words for " Rain," applied mostly to the heavy rains which occur in Israel in the fall and winter Sukkot ( also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles) is a Biblical Pilgrimage Simchat Torah or Simchas Torah (שמחת תורה is a Jewish holiday marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the beginning The word Amen (; آمين, ’Āmīn; "So be it truly" Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה literally "head of the year" Biblical: ˈɾoʃ haʃːɔˈnɔh Israeli haʃaˈna Yiddish: hɑˈʃɔnə is a Jewish Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Sukkot ( also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles) is a Biblical Pilgrimage Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish Lekhah Dodi ( Hebrew: לכה דודי also transliterated as Lecha Dodi, L'chah Dodi, Lekah Dodi, Shlomo (Solomon Halevi Alkabetz (also transliterated as Alqabitz or Alqabes; Hebrew: שלמה אלקבץ) (c | Shabbat evening |
| Mah Y'didut | Acrostic spells Menucha ("rest"); refrain | Shabbat | |
| Ma'oz Tzur | מעוז צור | Acrostic spells name of author, "Mordechai" | Hanukkah |
| M'nuha V'Simha | Acrostic spells name of author, "Moshe" | Shabbat | |
| Mipi El | Alphabetic acrostic | Shabbat and Simchat Torah | |
| Shoshanat Ya'akov | Alphabetic acrostic | Purim | |
| Tal | Reverse alphabetic acrostic; each stanza ends with "Tal" | Passover | |
| Tzur Mishelo | First stanza is the refrain | Shabbat | |
| Unetanneh Tokef | ונתנה תוקף | Shabbat | |
| Yah Ribon | Acrostic spells "Yisrael" | Shabbat | |
| Yedid Nefesh | ידיד נפש | Acrostic spells Tetragrammaton | Shabbat |
| Yom Shabbaton | Acrostic spells "Yehudah" | Shabbat | |
| Yom Ze L'Yisra'el | Acrostic spells "Yitzhak" | Shabbat | |
| Yom Ze Mekhubad | Acrostic spells "Yisrael" | Shabbat | |
| Yigdal | יִגְדַּל | Metre | Daily |
See also
External links
- Piyut site - audio recordings of piyyutim, along with corresponding lyrics in Hebrew
- Jewish Encyclopedia article on piyyutim
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