PIIJÜT
Poetry and synagogue liturgy cultivated by the *paetanim* (from ποιητής), largely liturgical in nature, echoing the biblical *Psalms*, the legal prescriptions (v. HÁLÁKHÁH) and especially the midrashic narrative (v. AGGADA). The piyyut originated in Palestine around the 5th or 6th century AD, spread to the Babylonian diaspora and then throughout the diaspora, reaching its peak in Spain (750–1250); it continues to exist, albeit modestly, to the present day.
According to Jehudah ben Barzillai of Barcelona (c. 1100) and Samuel ben Judah ibn Abun of Fez (12th century, converted to Islam), the rise of the piyyut is attributed to religious persecutions. It would have been a sung composition (*al-hizana*; Heb. *hazanut*, from *hazan*, originally the overseer of boys during religious services, later an official and dignitary of the community), in contrast to the ancient fundamental prayers (*salat*, in Aramaic *selota*), which were recited rather than sung. The piyyut developed under the influence of Arabic poetry and culture (after 635), adopting the use of rhyme (*haruz*), rhythm, and abbreviation (known as *alfabetha*), whose earliest elements can already be found in biblical poetry. The melody accompanying the piyyut is called *no'am* (*sweetness*), *ta'am* (*flavor*), *lahin* (from Arabic *lahn*, *alhan*), or *niggun* (*melody*). The meter, influenced by Arabic forms, is called *miqal* (*weight*) (quantitative). *Rath* (*bolt*) denotes a poem framed by words and hemistichs taken from the Bible; sometimes the Greek term *βόμος* is used. The final poem is called