Avodah: An Anthology of Ancient Poetry for Yom Kippur (Penn State Library of Jewish Literature) [Hardcover]

Michael D. Swartz (Author), Joseph Yahalom (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penn State Library of Jewish Literature | Publication Date: June 5, 2005

Avodah: Ancient Poems for Yom Kippur is the first major translation of one of the most important genres of the lost literature of the ancient synagogue. Known as the Avodah piyyutim, this liturgical poetry was composed by the synagogue poets of fifth- to ninth-century Palestine and sung in the synagogues on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Although it was suppressed by generations of Rabbis, its ornamental beauty and deep exploration of sacred stories ensured its popularity for centuries.

Piyyut literature can teach us much about how ancient Jews understood sacrifice, sacred space, and sin. The poems are also a rich source for retrieving myths and symbols not found in the conventional Rabbinic sources such as the Talmuds and Midrash. Moreover, these compositions rise to the level of fine literature. They are the products of great literary effort, continue and extend the tradition of biblical parallelism, and reveal the aesthetic sensibilities of the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity. The book's format is innovative and appropriate for this complex, allusive genre of poetry. The Hebrew and English appear on facing pages with the references printed in a column to the side of the page. As the ancient listener would hear the poem chanted in the synagogue and recall the biblical references and legends based on them, the modern reader will read the body of the poem and be able to consult the references without being distracted by footnotes. The book contains an extensive introduction that not only describes the Avodah genre of piyyut but also places the poetry of the synagogue into the context of the art and civilization of the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity. Avodah: Ancient Poems for Yom Kippur is the first volume in The Penn State Library of Jewish Literature, overseen by Baruch Halpern and Aminadav Dykman. This series will constitute a library of primary source material for the Jewish and Hebrew literary traditions. The library will present Jewish and Hebrew works from all eras and cultures, offering both scholars and general readers original, modern translations of previously overlooked texts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[T]he editors and translators of this collection, do an intelligent and nuanced job introducing the poems, summarizing the scriptural, historical, linguistic, artistic, and hermeneutic traditions that resonate in the Hebrew originals. --Laurance Wieder, Books and Culture: A Christian Review

Swartz and Yahalom have produced a clear, readable version complete with excellent bibliographic aids. --M. Butovsky, Choice

About the Author

Michael D. Swartz is Professor of Hebrew and Religious Studies at the Ohio State University. He is the author of Mystical Prayer in Ancient Judaism: An Analysis of Ma Äôaseh Merkavah (1992) and Scholastic Magic: Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism (1996).Joseph Yahalom is Professor of Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is regarded as one of the foremost experts on Hebrew liturgical poetry and has written several books on the subject, including Palestinian Vocalised Piyyut Manuscripts in the Cambridge Genizah Collections (1997).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (June 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271023570
• ISBN-13: 978-0271023571
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,169,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Jewish Book Bargain: Avodah, August 9, 2011

By 

Tzvee (New York City) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Avodah: An Anthology of Ancient Poetry for Yom Kippur (Penn State Library of Jewish Literature) (Kindle Edition)

Kindle Jewish Book Bargain: Avodah - Ancient Poems for Yom Kippur edited by Michael D. Swartz and Joseph Yahalom -- The dead tree edition of the book is $65.95 at Amazon but... the Kindle edition is $9.99.

The rich and informative introduction is worth the price of the book. And if you are teaching a course on the "Liturgy of the Days of Awe," then you must have this book.

In the Kindle edition the Hebrew follows the English, they do not line up side-by-side, and that may account for the discount. Just guessing.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lots of poetry, October 1, 2009

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avodah: An Anthology of Ancient Poetry for Yom Kippur (Penn State Library of Jewish Literature) (Hardcover)

8 long poems, all written (probably in Israel) about 1600 years ago, describing the service of the High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem (destroyed in 70). These poems reminds us that even after a few hundred years, the Temple sacrifices were still part of the Jewish collective memory to a greater extent than today. In addition, the poems' positive description of the High Priest suggests that the Temple priesthood was still more prestigious than some Jewish literature might suggest.