Avodah: Ancient Poems for Yom Kippur

Preface

preface this volume is the result of our mutual interest in the Avodah piyyutim and our conviction that these compositions are significant not only for the history of Hebrew literature but also for the history of Judaism in late antiquity. In 1996, Joseph Yahalom published the anonymous piyyut Az be-6En Kol, an edition of a previously unknown, monumental Avodah composition with an introduction on the history and significance of the genre. During this time, Michael Swartz had begun work on a study of ideas of sacrifice in post-biblical Judaism in which the Avodah piyyutim would play a pivotal role. When we learned of our common research interests, we decided to collaborate on an anthology and translation of early Avodah piyyutim. We decided on a format that would allow readers to understand the intricate network of allusions, biblical phrases, and expressions that characterize this genre. We also decided that the Hebrew texts of the piyyutim should be placed on facing pages with the English translations and that new texts of the piyyutim would be prepared. We then set about finding a publisher that would be willing to take on the challenge of making this complex volume a reality. We were very fortunate to find enthusiastic advocates of this project at Penn State University Press. Peter Potter, editor-in-chief of the Press, was eager to show us how it could be done and has shepherded the volume to production with intelligence, grace, and extraordinary patience. The editors of the Penn State Library of Jewish Literature, Professors Baruch Halperin and Aminadav Dikman, have also been supportive of this book from the beginning. Special credit also goes to Keith Monley, who as copyeditor contributed immensely by saving us from countless errors and awkward turns of phrase, charging us to be consistent in our discussions and references, and helping us turn this into a readable book. The book was also proofread by M. Novick and Y. Septimus, two Yale University graduate students. Dr. Raphael Posner in Jerusalem, working with Jennifer Norton at Penn State Press, undertook the task of typesetting the Hebrew and English texts and likewise contributed considerably to its accuracy and design. Professors Dick Davis of Ohio State x avodah University, Abraham Holtz of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Norman Bronznick of Rutgers University gave valuable adviceongeneralandspecifictopicsrelatedtothisvolume,asdidNatalie Dohrman at the University of Pennsylvania and Peter Cole in Jerusalem. This project has also received a great deal of support from institutions and individuals, to whom our gratitude is due. The book was supported by a publication subvention from the Ohio State University College of Humanities as well as research grants from the College of Humanities, the Melton Center for Jewish Studies and the Office of International Studies at the Ohio State University, and a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship for research in Israel. We dedicate this book to the late Professor Aaron Mirsky, who was a pioneer in the field of piyyut, and who published the Avodah piyyutim of the earliest known liturgical poet, Yose ben Yose. He was one of the first scholars to show how the poetic and mythic dimensions of the Avodah piyyutim could contribute to our knowledge of late antique Judaism. sigla For the English translations: [ ] lacuna in the manuscripts [xxx] text restored or emended (xxx) text added for clarification {xxx} text restored from another manuscripts For the Hebrew edition: lacuna in the manuscripts text restored or emended [xxx] emendation in the manuscript {xxx} text struck out in manuscript ...