Elasar ha-Qallir

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Elasar ha-Qallir (also: Eleasar Kalir or Eleazar Kalir ; Hebrew אלעזר הקליר or אלעזר בירבי קליר) was a school-educating Jewish liturgical poet ( Pajjtan ) from the Land of Israel in the Byzantine period (approx. 6th / 7th centuries). He wrote numerous piyutim , z. T. found their way into the Ashkenazi Siddurim .

The origin and classification of Elasar ha-Qallir are controversial. In the Middle Ages he was believed to be a Tannaite and identified with Rabbi El'asar ben Arach . During the Haskala there was a tendency towards late dating and placed it in the 10th and 11th centuries in Italy. Since the discovery of the Cairo genisa and a large number of its pijjutim in it, a more precise dating is now possible. The fact that there are numerous references in his works to Christian rule in the Land of Israel but not to the Arab conquest indicates that R. Elasar ha-Qallir lived in the 6th or early 7th century, in each Don't fall after the Arab invasion . Some of his pijjutim are constructed as acrostic , which takes the name of the city Kirjat Sefer (Heb.קרית ספר), results. Presumably Tiberias is meant, which was a magnet for scholars and writers at that time. According to some indications of doubtful value, he was a student of the poet Jannai . There is even a - historically worthless - story of medieval origin, according to which Jannai killed Elasar ha-Qallir because he supposedly envied him for his pijjutim.

The epithet "Qallir" is unclear in its meaning, sometimes it also appears as "קלר"Or"קיליר". According to Samuel David Luzzatto , the name can possibly be derived from the Greek name Kyrill with the help of a metathesis and would then be as "קיליר“( Kyllir or Killir ) to read.

Qallir's poetry served as the basis for generations of Pajjtanim after him. Compared to the lyrical style before Qallir, he and his successors already used a relatively highly developed rhyming language.

Due to his bold word creations, his ambitious rhymes and not least his Haggadic allusions and mistakes in copying his poems, he was soon no longer understood, so that comments were needed; later generations of Spanish-Jewish poets have sharply criticized him and sought a return to the unadulterated biblical language.

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personal data
SURNAME Elasar ha-Qallir
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Eretz-Jisra'elian poet in Hebrew
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century
DATE OF DEATH 7th century