Jose ben Jose () was an early payyetan who lived in Israel in the 4th to 5th century CE. In some sources he is called "Jose ben Jose the orphan", on the assumption that only an orphan would receive the same name as his father; however, this assumption is not accurate in relation to all communities at the time. Alternatively, "orphan" was a title of honor, given due to his being "alone" in his skills and accomplishments. According to one tradition, he was a

kohen Kohen (, ; , ، Arabic كاهن , Kahen) is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic Priest#Judaism, priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. They are traditionally believed, and halakha, halakhically required, to ...

and was given the title of Kohen Gadol. His poetry was rich, but written in relatively simple language. His poems have been compared to those of Yannai and Kalir, but do not have rhyme schemes and do not allude to

midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

, though they do have standard meter. Most of his poetry has been lost, but some is preserved in the contemporary

Ashkenazic Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language t ...

prayer books. Although he was from an era before poets would sign their piyyutim, the Teqiatoth (piyyutim of the special blessings of

Mussaf Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to t ...

on Rosh Hashanah) of the second day Rosh Hashanah, as well as some of the

Selichot Selichot (, singular: , ''səliḥā'') are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are a central theme throughout these pra ...

of the night of

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

are attributed to him in early Ashkenazic manuscripts. Despite this attribution,

Shulamit Elizur Professor Shulamit Elizur (), born April 6, 1955, is a scholar of ancient and medieval piyyut (Hebrew poetry). She is the head of the Fleischer Institute for the Study of Hebrew Poetry, a member of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, a member of ...

claims that Selichot are Babylonian in origin,Shulamit Elizur, 'li-mekoram shel piyute selihot', in Tarbiz 84:4 (2016), pages 503-542. and if so, Jose ben Jose would not have written Selichot.

Additional reading

* Aaron Mirsky (Editor), Piyute Yose ben Yose, Mosad Biali, Jerusalem 1977 (Hebrew).

References

Jewish poets Hebrew-language poets 6th-century poets Jews in the Land of Israel 5th-century Jews 4th-century Jews {{israel-poet-stub