Avodah

Avodah is a scholarly translation of ancient liturgical poetry composed between the fifth and ninth centuries in Palestine. This volume focuses on the Avodah piyyutim, a significant genre of lost synagogue literature specifically written for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These sacred writings explore themes of sacrifice, sin, and sacred space through an ornamental style that persisted despite rabbinic suppression.

This work of religious poetry and literary criticism provides a rare glimpse into the aesthetic sensibilities of the Mediterranean during Late Antiquity. By examining these compositions, the text retrieves myths and symbols absent from conventional Rabbinic sources like the Midrash and Talmuds. Avodah serves as an important resource for those studying Judaism, ancient rituals, and the tradition of biblical parallelism within Jewish sacred writings.