# Kinnot > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kinnot > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kinnot.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinnot > Source revision: 1345344032 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Hebrew lamentations}} '''Kinnot''' ({{langx|he|קינות}}; also '''kinnos''', '''kinoth''', '''qinot''', '''qinoth'''; {{singular|'''kinah'''}}, '''qinah''' or '''kinnah''') are Hebrew [dirge](/source/dirge)s (sad poems) or [elegies](/source/elegies). The term is used to refer both to dirges in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) and to latterly-composed poems that [Jews](/source/Jews) traditionally recite on [Tisha B'Av](/source/Tisha_B'Av). ==In the Bible== {{See also|Kinah}} In the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible), the term ''kinah'' or ''qinah'' refers to a dirge or [lament](/source/lament), especially as sung by Jewish female [professional mourners](/source/professional_mourners). The [Christian](/source/Christianity) [Jerusalem Bible](/source/Jerusalem_Bible) refers to [Isaiah 47](/source/Isaiah_47) as a ''qinah'' or "lament for [Babylon](/source/Babylon)",[Jerusalem Bible](/source/Jerusalem_Bible) (1966), sub-title to Isaiah 47 and to [Ezekiel 19](/source/Ezekiel_19) as a ''qinah'' or lamentation over the rulers of Israel.Jerusalem Bible (1966), sub-title to Ezekiel 19 and footnote ''a'' A. W. Streane suggests that the prophecy given by [Jeremiah](/source/Jeremiah) in [Jeremiah 22](/source/Jeremiah_22):6–7 concerning the 587 BCE [destruction of Jerusalem](/source/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(587_BC)) is written "in Ḳinah metre".{{Tanakhverse|Jer|22:6–7}}Streane, A. W. (1911), [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/jeremiah/22.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] om Jeremiah 22, accessed 10 February 2019 ==Tisha B'Av recitation== On [Tisha B'Av](/source/Tisha_B'Av), [Jews](/source/Jews) traditionally recite a series of elegiac poems, known as ''kinnot'', after the evening and morning prayers. These poems mourn the destruction of both the [First](/source/Solomon's_Temple) and [Second Temple](/source/Second_Temple) in Jerusalem and other tragedies in [Jewish history](/source/Jewish_history), including the [Crusades](/source/Crusades), the [Expulsion of Jews from Spain](/source/Expulsion_of_Jews_from_Spain), and [the Holocaust](/source/the_Holocaust). The ''kinnot'' are generally recited on the night of Tisha B'Av after reciting the [Book of Lamentations](/source/Book_of_Lamentations), which was called ''Kinnot'' in the Talmudic era,See e.g., Bava Batra 14b assuming its more familiar name, ''ʾĒkhāh'' ({{lang|he|אֵיכָה}}), in the [Middle Ages](/source/History_of_European_Jews_in_the_Middle_Ages). Some communities recite some of the ''kinnot'' before beginning the [evening service](/source/Maariv) on Erev Tisha B'Av. ===Development of the Ashkenazic ''kinnot''=== Many ''kinnot'' were composed by [Rabbi](/source/Rabbi) [Eleazar ben Kalir](/source/Eleazar_ben_Kalir),See {{cite book|author=Asher ben Jehiel|author-link=Asher ben Jehiel|title=Rosh|at=''[Brochos](/source/Berakhot_(Talmud))'' 5:21, with ''Ma'adanei Yom Tov''|url=http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14308&st=&pgnum=179|accessdate=25 September 2013|language=Hebrew}} who likely lived during the 6th and 7th centuries. His ''kinnot'' resemble the structure and content of the [Book of Lamentations](/source/Book_of_Lamentations). For example, one of his ''kinnot'' begins each stanza with the word ''ʾĒkhāh'', the opening word of Lamentations. He often writes stanzas in an alphabetical acrostic, similar to the first four chapters of Lamentations. The style deals primarily with the 70 CE [destruction of the Second Temple](/source/destruction_of_the_Second_Temple), similar to Lamentations, which mourns the destruction of the [First Temple](/source/First_Temple). The main impetus for the creation of new ''kinnot'' during the Middle Ages was the [Crusades](/source/History_of_the_Jews_and_the_Crusades), during which [Christian mobs](/source/Persecution_of_Jews) decimated many Jewish communities throughout Europe and the Middle East. The ''kinnot'' deal with the then-current tragedy of the Crusades, no longer focusing on the destruction of the Temple in the past. The loss of the [Torah](/source/Torah) and its scholars, instead of the loss of the Temple, occupies a central theme. Rabbi [Judah Halevi](/source/Judah_Halevi) wrote a ''kinnah'' of a different nature. In his poem ''Tziyon Halo Tishali'', he expresses a longing to return to Jerusalem rather than expressing pain and despair over the tragedies of the distant or near past. Many later poets copied him. Halevi is also supposed to have written the final ''kinah'' of the morning service, ''[Eli Tsiyon ve-Areha](/source/Eli_Tsiyon_ve-Areha)''.{{Cite book |title=Ḳinot Mesorat ha-Rav =: The Koren Mesorat Harav Kinot: tefilla for Tisha B'Av, Kinot, Eikha |date=2011 |publisher=OU Press; Koren Publishers |isbn=978-965-301-249-3 |editor-last=Soloveitchik |editor-first=Joseph Dov |edition=2nd Hebrew / English |location=New York, NY : Jerusalem |editor-last2=Posner |editor-first2=Simon}}{{Cite book |title=Encyclopaedia Judaica |date=2007 |publisher=Macmillan Reference USA in association with the Keter Publishing House |isbn=978-0-02-866097-4 |editor-last=Skolnik |editor-first=Fred |edition=2nd |series=Gale eBooks |location=Detroit |editor-last2=Berenbaum |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last3=Gale (Firm)}} ===Sephardic ''kinnot''=== The various [Sephardic](/source/Sephardic_Jews) and [Mizrachi](/source/Mizrahi_Jews) Jewish communities of North Africa and the Middle East have a rich tradition of ''kinnot''. Below is an extensive list of compositions based on the practices of communities in [Morocco](/source/Moroccan_Jews) and [Tunisia](/source/History_of_the_Jews_in_Tunisia): ====Evening ''kinnot''==== # ''Divrey Nevi'im'' (דברי נביאים) # ''Lu Yishqelu Re'ay'' (לו ישקלו רעי) # ''Nishmat Shedudim'' (נשמת שדודים) # ''Shanah BeShanah'' ('''שנה בשנה''' אהגה כיונה / כי עיר עדינה היתה לזונה) # ''Yonah Nikh'avah'' ('''יונה נכאבה''' נפשה דאבה / היכל דר ערבות יום יום סובבה) # ''Shim'u VeHa'azinu'' ('''שמעו והאזינו''' ואדברה אני / אומרה לאל סלעי למה שכחתני) # ''Nishmat Yeladim'' ('''נשמת''' ילדים שוממים על חורבן אריאל) # ''Et Oyveḥa El'' ('''את אויביך אל''' תשמיד ותחריב / בעגלה ובזמן קריב) # ''Yom Kemo Ned'' ('''יום כמו נד''' עמדו דמעי בפני / על קדושים זרע ברוכי ה׳) # ''Ad An Tzvi Muddaḥ'' ('''עד אן צבי מדח''' ואין מקבץ לו / נגש וגם נענח גבר מאד חילו ) # ''Ashaher Adati'' (אשחר עדתי) # ''Eftaḥ pi Lehodot'' (אפתח פי להודות) # ''Aryeh Sha'ag'' (אריה שאג) # ''Eykh Mishkani Elyon'' (איך משכני עליון) # ''HaLanofelim Tequmah'' (הלנופלים תקומה) # ''Nishmat Emunim'' (נשמת אמונים) # ''Nilah lehelil'' (נלאה להיליל) # ''Heikhal Adonai'' ('היכל ה) # ''Yom Nilḥamu Bi'' (יום נלחמו בי) # ''Qol Aholah Tityapeaḥ'' (קול אהלה תתיפח) # ''Bore Ad Ana'' (בורא עד אנא) #: ''Al Naharot Bavel'' (על נהרות בבל) is read from the [book of Psalms](/source/book_of_Psalms) Then, ''[Arvit](/source/Arvit)'' is prayed, with the ''kinnot'' continuing after the ''[Amidah](/source/Amidah)'': # ''Lemi Evkeh'' (למי אבכה) #: ''Megillat Eykhah''/[Lamentations](/source/Lamentations) (מגילת איכה) is then read, followed by: # ''Az Baḥata'enu'' (אז בחטאנו חרב מקדש) # ''Zekhor Adonai Meh Hayah Lanu'' (זכר ה׳ מה היה לנו) # ''Beleyl Zeh Yivkayun'' (בליל זה יבכיון) # ''Midey Shanah Qinnah'' ('''מדי שנה קינה''' בליל זה מזומנה) # ''Al Zeh Hayah Daveh Libenu'' ('''על זה היה דוה לבנו''' ועל אלה חשכו עינינו) # ''Al Leyl Ḥorban Heykhal Miqdash'' ('''על ליל חרבן היכל מקדש''' / מדי ליל זה ספד יחדש / על עיר קדש ועל המקדש) # ''Oy Ki Yarad Esh Min Hashamayim Liyrushalayim'' (אוי כי ירד אש מן השמים לירושלים '''עיני עיני יורדה מים''') # ''Zechor Adonai Liyhudah Ulefrayim'' (זכור ה' ליהודה ולאפרים) # ''Alekhem Edah Qedoshah'' ('''אליכם עדה קדושה''' אשאל מכם שאלות / '''מה נשתנה הלילה הזה מכל הלילות''') # ''Oy Ki Qinat Rabbat'' (אוי כי קינת רבת מפי בן ומפי בת / ויהי נעם נשבת במוצאי השבת), said only at the conclusion of [Shabbat](/source/Shabbat) # ''Ani Hagever'' (אני הגבר אקונן), said only at the conclusion of [Shabbat](/source/Shabbat) # ''Az Baḥata'enu'' (אז בחטאנו חרב מקדש), composed by [Eleazar ben Killir](/source/Eleazar_ben_Killir) #: The years since the destruction of the Temple are then counted (מניין שנות החורבן) #: Some communities then recite the following ''kinnah'': # ''Al Heykhali Ḥevli KeNahasḥ Noshe'' ('''על היכלי חבלי כנחש נושך''' ולשממות ציון אשב בחושך), composed by Rabbi [Israel ben Moses Najara](/source/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara) ====Morning ''kinnot''==== See [קינות תשעה באב (Hebrew)](/source/%3Ahe%3A%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%9C%D7%AA%D7%A9%D7%A2%D7%94_%D7%91%D7%90%D7%91) ===''Kinnot'' in memory of the Holocaust=== {{unreferenced section|date=August 2025}} Although the fast of Tisha B'Av originated to mourn the destruction of the Temple, over the years, other travails of the [Jewish diaspora](/source/Jewish_diaspora) have been added to its observance and memorialized in ''kinnot''. Despite this, few ''kinnot'' have been composed in the last several centuries, and none have entered the standard ''kinnot'' service. After the Holocaust, many people felt that it was inappropriate to mourn on Tisha b'Av for the destruction of cities during the Middle Ages without mourning the even greater tragedy of the Holocaust. For this reason, many people recommended the composition and recitation of new ''kinnot'' to commemorate the Holocaust. These people, including many important rabbis, argued that in every generation, ''kinnot'' were composed to address the difficulties of that generation. Some added that it was essential to incorporate such kinnot into the Jewish liturgy, lest future generations forget the Holocaust. One popular ''kinnah'' on the Holocaust is ''Eli Eli Nafshi Bekhi'', which was composed by [Yehuda Leib Bialer](/source/Yehuda_Leib_Bialer). However, many other rabbis dissented because they could not create new ''kinnot'' because the existing ''kinnot'' were holy and were composed by the greatest individuals of their respective generations, but today there is nobody who can write like them. Others claimed that any individual community could recite new ''kinnot'' as they wished, but only the greatest rabbis would have the authority to institute new ''kinnot'' for use by the entirety of world Jewry. Rabbi [Yaakov Ariel](/source/Yaakov_Ariel) claims that the ''kinnot'' service, unlike the ''[siddur](/source/siddur)'' and Jewish rituals, was not created by the authority of the rabbis, but rather developed based on the acceptance of communities and the decisions of the printers who produced printed copies. Thus, the new ''kinnot'' could gradually enter the accepted roster of ''kinnot''. However, since many congregations now recite ''kinnot'' to commemorate the Holocaust, this may become an integral part of the service without a formal decision. ==See also== * [Zionides](/source/Zionides) * [City Lament](/source/City_Lament) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.pizmonim.org/festivals.php?holiday=Ekha Sephardic Pizmonim Project, Ekha and Tisha B'Ab] * [http://old.piyut.org.il/cgi-bin/search.pl?lang=&teiman=&YearCicle=12&Tradition=&RulerComponents=yearcycles&Notes=&NowSong=&NewPerformance=&Scripts= Piyut.co.il - Texts and archival recordings of Sephardic and Ashkenaz Qinot (Hebrew)] * [https://www.shaar-binyamin.com/%D7%AA%D7%A9%D7%A2%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%90%D7%91.html Shaar-binyamin.com - Recordings of the qinot according to the Syrian Jewish community of Damascus] * [https://www.daat.ac.il/daat/vl/tohen.asp?id=131 Kinnot L'Tisha B'Av Nusakh Ashkenaz] (Hebrew language) * [http://www.oztorah.com/2010/07/tishah-bav-a-guide-to-the-service/ Tishah B'Av - A Guide to the Service (including a synopsis of the kinnot)] * [http://www.yutorah.org/togo/Tishabav/articles/Tisha_Bav_To-Go_-_5770_Chicago.pdf Kinot Insights from Members of the YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago] * [https://www.beureihatefila.com/files/Sample_of_Translated_Kinos.pdf A Sample of Kinnot and Their Translations for Consecutive Reading on Tisha B´Av] {{The Three Weeks}} Category:Jewish liturgical poems Category:Tisha B'Av Category:Laments --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kinnot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinnot) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinnot?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.