ʿĂqēdōt: the binding of Isaac in early modern Polish-Lithuanian Karaite poetry

Abstract

This article deals with early modern Polish-Lithuanian Karaite poems which are based on the biblical narrative of the binding of Isaac (Gen. 22). These liturgical poems (ʿăqēdōt) were recited during the ten days between the New Year and the Day of Atonement, known in Karaite tradition as the ten days of mercy. Their main function is to express the frame of mind of the congregants during this yearly period of repentance, eventually culminating in the sounding of the Shofar on the Day of Atonement. The article demonstrates that the Polish-Lithuanian Karaite poets do not only draw from the biblical narrative but rewrite it by using later midrashic and medieval interpretations of the binding of Isaac.

Keywords

• Hebrew poetry
• Isaac, the Patriarch
• Judaism
• Karaites
• Poland
• Lithuania