CULTIC THEMES IN SUKKOT PIYYUTIM BY JEFFREY RUBENSTEIN In recent decades scholars have devoted tremendous energy to the study of liturgical poetry. The Cairo Geniza yielded a treasure trove of manuscripts replete with previously unknown or partially known piyyutim and selihot. The quantity of raw data crying out for sorting, classification, analysis and publica- tion proliferated overnight. Paytanim whose names were known only from a stray reference suddenly leapt to life in all their glory. A heightened sensitivity to the differences between Babylonian and Palestinian liturgies together with attempts to reconstruct the Palestinian rite made the study of piyyutim even more urgent. Heretofore unexplained elements of piyyu- tim suddenly became clear when understood against the context of the Palestinian practices. At the same time, the piyyutim provided insights as to the structure of the Palestinian cycle of Torah readings, haftarah readings, and liturgical customs. The actual content of piyyutim, however, has been somewhat neglected. Scholars have focused to a far greater extent onform, cataloguing rhyme schemes, meters, methods of biblical cita- tion, acrostics of various types, techniques of circular composi- tion and other poetic devices, and thereby charting the historical development of the piyyut. A second scholarly inter- est, especially in connection with the obscure allusions of Qalir, searches midrashic literature to locate the source of the refer- ence. Few studies examine a piyyut or series of piyyutim on their own terms, seeking to understand their symbolism, theolo- gy or content. This neglect is unfortunate since piyyutim, as part of synagogue worship and the living Jewish tradition, provide a window to the hopes, prayers and conceptions of the Jews who recited them.