000002 - 500: Jewish History - The Development of Piyyutim (Jewish liturgical poetry)

Liturgical poetry, piyyut (a Greek derived term), was finely developed, at first, it would seem, in Israel.

A piyyut (plural piyyutim), is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times. 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.

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. 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. Another well-beloved piyyut is Yigdal ("May God be Hallowed"), which is based upon the Thirteen Principles of Faith developed by Maimonides. The author of a piyyut is known as a paytan (plural paytanim). Composed in learned Hebrew or Aramaic, piyyut drew on and played with biblical expressions and incorporated rabbinic exegesis (midrash). Piyyut was first introduced to stand in for non-fixed parts of the synagogue service (in an era when worshipers did not have prayer books), but it came to embellish parts of the Sabbath and especially festival liturgy when prayers became more standard. Earlier piyyutim were anonymous, but there now began to appear works by the great classic paytanim (payyetanim), Yosi ben Yosi, Yannai, and Eleazar ben Kalir, Piyyut continued to flourish through the Middle Ages, especially in Mediterranean lands, from Israel to Spain.