The Character and Influence of the Babylonian Center of Poetic Production: Considerations in the Wake of Tova Be'eri's Books.

The famous competition between the Palestinian and Babylonian traditions, which continued over the course of the Talmudic and the Geonic periods, ended, as is well-known, in the complete victory of Babylon - with the exception of one extensive area: piyyut. The recitation of piyyutim, rooted in the liturgical traditions of Palestine, spread to all Diaspora Jewish communities. Whereas in the case of Italy and Germany this phenomenon may be explained as a function of a shared ancient Palestinian heritage, it is quite surprising to find that it also obtains in the case of Spain, as the latter is known for its deep connections specifically to the traditions of Babylon. In the first portion of the present article it is suggested that piyyut became naturalized in Spain, not as the result of Palestinian influence, but rather through the influence of the liturgical rites of the Babylonian synagogues of the tenth century, as these are attested in the poetic productions of R. Yosef al-Baradani. An investigation of the actual distribution of the main liturgical genres in Spain - the yotzer and the qedushta - reveals a close connection, even in detail, to that found in the corpus of Yosef al-Baradani. This fact strengthens the notion that Babylon served as a middleman between the Palestinian birth-place of piyyut and the Hebrew liturgical poetry of Spain. In the second portion of the article stress is laid on the place occupied by the seliḥa in the corpus of Babylonian piyyut. Indeed, seliḥiot are almost entirely lacking in the corpus of Yosef al-Baradani. However, almost all of the piyyutim of R. David ha-Nasi, which have lately been published, belong to the seliḥa genre in its various manifestations, and from the beginning of piyyut production in Babylon (in the corpus of R. Nisi al-Nahruʿani) a significant place is reserved for seliḥot. At the same time, there are no seliḥot in the heritage bequeathed by the classical Palestinian payyetanim. For this reason it is proposed here that the seliḥa be seen as a Babylonian piyyut genre. If this is indeed the case, it follows that Babylonian influence on piyyut production throughout the ages is much more decisive than has been thought up till the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]