"On This Day, We Are Perfect": Embodiment in Yannai's Yom Kippur Qerova

Journal Article (Journal Article)

This article analyzes two poetic units within a much longer composition (translated in full here) composed by Yannai (6th c. CE, Galilee) for recitation on Yom Kippur. Specifically, it offers readings of Unit 8, which prefaces the third blessing of the Amidah (the Qedushah), and Unit 15, which concludes the work. Both units dwell on the physical experience of Yom Kippur and the ways in which ritual affects the body, permitting us to consider the role of "kinesthetic theology"(borrowing Kathryn Reklis' coinage) - i.e., how physical expression and embodied experiences not only reflect but shape belief - in the composition.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Lieber, LS

Published Date

  • January 1, 2022

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 30 / 1

Start / End Page

  • 37 - 69

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1477-285X

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1053-699X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1163/1477285X-12341326

Citation Source

  • Scopus