Prelude to Sinai: The Enduring Appeal of Akdamut Millin

May 13, 2021

Prelude to Sinai: The Enduring Appeal of Akdamut Millin

Dr. Laura S. Lieber

1 Lectures

Laura S. Lieber is Professor of Religious Studies and Classical Studies at Duke University (Durham, NC), where she also directs the Center for Jewish Studies. She received her BA in English and Classics from the University of Arkansas, rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, and her PhD from the University of Chicago. Her most recent book is Jewish Aramaic Poetry from Antiquity (2018); her translation of Classical Samaritan piyyut is forthcoming, and she is current writing on the topic of theatricality and Late Antique hymnody.

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In this session, we will examine the liturgical poem “Akdamut Millin” (“The Introduction of Words”), written by Rabbi Meir b. Isaac of Worms (died ca. 1095), with an eye toward understanding its origins and its enduring appeal. Why would Rabbi Meir compose such a lengthy (ninety line) poem in Aramaic, long after Aramaic ceased to be the vernacular of the Jewish community? And what meaning can such a work have for us today?

- 05/12/2021

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