Foremost among this body of nonliturgical, non-Hebrew Jewish poetry is a small body of poems in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic (JPA). These poems, written to embellish the observance of holidays and life-cycle events, do not reflect a rebellion against institutions—they do not exist in tension with the Hebrew poems and the liturgy of the synagogue—but rather offer a window through which a bit more of Jewish life, as lived Jewishly, can yet be perceived.This essay is based on Professor Lieber's recent book, Jewish Aramaic Poetry from Late Antiquity, which I noted here. And I also noted a relevant essay by her in the Geniza Fragment of the Month series. Cross-file under Aramaic Watch.
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