Hebrew Voices #178 – Rapping Ancient Hebrew Poetry: Part 1
In this new episode of Hebrew Voices #178, Rapping Ancient Hebrew Poetry: Part 1, Nehemia explores the origin and nature of Jewish liturgical poetry with expert Dr. Gabriel Wasserman. They discuss the historical use of the term “rabbi”, the definitions … Continue reading →
In this new episode of Hebrew Voices #178, Rapping Ancient Hebrew Poetry: Part 1, Nehemia explores the origin and nature of Jewish liturgical poetry with expert Dr. Gabriel Wasserman. They discuss the historical use of the term “rabbi", the definitions and power of liturgy and poetry, and how the development of the 18 benedictions led to the creative expressions of piyyut.
I look forward to reading your comments!
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Transcript
Hebrew Voices #178 – Rapping Ancient Hebrew Poetry: Part 1
You are listening to Hebrew Voices with Nehemia Gordon. Thank you for supporting Nehemia Gordon's Makor Hebrew Foundation. Learn more at NehemiasWall.com.
Nehemia: Somebody obviously doesn’t know what they’re doing, let’s put it that way. Somebody may know what they’re doing…
Gabriel: I have met Judeo-Christians who did and then when I asked, “Why do you do that?” They said, “I don’t know.”
Nehemia: Shalom, and welcome to Hebrew Voices! I’m here today with Dr. Gabriel Wasserman, who got his PhD from Yeshiva University in New York and then did a post-doc at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Shalom, Gabriel!
Gabriel: Hi!
Nehemia: So, here you are, what I would call a Rabbinical Jew, and we’ve spent all this time talking about Karaite literature. But actually, your main field of research is something called piyyut. What is piyyut? And why do you study it?
Gabriel: That's correct. Piyyut is Jewish liturgical poetry. So, the word actually is ultimately from the Greek poietes, “a maker”, from which we get the English word “poet.” And that, through the intermediary of the verb l’fayet, which we actually don’t see until hundreds of years later, but it ultimately does appear, which means “to make”, "to do this - making poetry", we get the abstract verbal noun piyyut, “making poetry”, and it becomes the word for “a liturgical poem”.
So, what is it? I’m going to start from the point of view of Rabbanite piyyut, because that’s primarily what I work on, and it’s also where piyyut starts. Ultimately, you see piyyut in the Karaite world as well.
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Comments
Correction: Michael Sokoloff: A Dictionary of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, 1992.
This is a great discussion on several topics. Many thanks. Liturgy can be used as disinformation, as you say, for Messianics to curse themselves. ‘Rabbi’ meaning synagogue leader is a late distortion of the first century use, then later set in Mishnah etc and backdated. No use as such in DSS or elsewhere in first century. In Matt 23 Christ (Anointed) forbids disciples to use the term, v8. Why? Most probably because the ‘scribes and Pharisees’ were sowing confusion / disinformation. Sokolov’s Aramaic dictionary says RBI means Anointed. By shouting Rabbi, Rabbi at each other, Christ’s enemies were causing confusion in the crowd’s attention/ trust. The crowd would mistake shouting Hebrew My Master/ teacher to be My Anointed in the common language Aramaic. This, they thought, would bolster their illegitimate authority of those who had taken ‘Moses’s seat’.
Please comment.
Hi Nehemia, in 2011 I saw your first open door recording in Dallas Ft Worth. I had been asking for YHVH’s name and by revelation, there you were. When I returned to Houston I was researching vowel pointing on google in 2011. I found in google images of the cantors scale of king David and there was YHVH in the middle of the grand staff. It was a 24 quarter tone scale impossible to sing today, the first and last letters and pitches were the same Hebrew letters totaling 23. The repeated Hey made 22 quarter tone pitches matching the Hebrew alphabet. This is a lot like rapping! It was very curious as I had sympathetic vibrations in my house which began with your conference and they turned out to match the scale. I have often wondered if Michael Roods ancestors who were cantors opened up a revelation. I sing YHVH after the appendix in Keith Johnson book from that weekend. I may not know your liturgical poems but I know how to sing YHVH’s name.
Always informative, I never heard of the term High Church/Low Church before, of course being a follower of Yeshua I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on how The Lord’s prayer fits into that and if any way itself is another example Hebrew poetry. Happy New Year to you and Lynell and all at Makor Hebrew Foundation!
I was really hoping to hear Dr Gabe’s rap, with Nehemia beat-boxing. Maybe next time. By the way, at 53 minutes, the word was “rapport,” which somewhat resembles “rapper.” Interesting show.
To be a Jewish scholar has got a deeper meaning here, to me. I am glad I also have the last part of the Bible. It sets us free from manmade takanots, wether Jewish or the later Christian ones.
No offence!
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