A Lament for Yom Kippur

“’En lanu kohen gadol” is a lament, a penitential poem for the Yom Kippur liturgy, written by the only poet known by name from the preclassical period, Yosi ben Yosi. Most of his fifteen surviving pieces are for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Whereas “’Az be-’en kol” is remarkable for the scope of its content, “’En lanu kohen gadol” and Yosi ben Yosi’s other compositions are renowned for their form, displaying masterful wordplay, puns, alliteration, and poignant refrains within the framework of the alphabetical acrostic.