Abstract
Recent studies in the relationship between midrash (rabbinic legends and scripture exegesis) and piyyut (liturgical poetry of the synagogue) have shown the close connection existing between these two major branches of Jewish literature.' One aspect of this relationship indicates that legends (agadot) that no longer appear in the midrash or survive only in fragments are sometimes preserved in their entirety in the piyyut. An example of the former is the search of Jochebed and Miriam for the dead Moses. This legend was one of the many midrashim on the death of Moses which survived only in the piyyut.2 An example of the latter is the battle between the mythical animals, Behemot and Leviathan. Fragments of this legend survive in the midrash but the complete work is preserved only in a piyyut by Qalir, (5th/ 6th centuries) one of the leading synagogue poets of Byzantine Palestine.8 The legend of God as matchmaker to be described below belongs in the latter category.4 It is preserved in a number of Qedushtot (sing. Qedushta, a nine part liturgical work designed to embellish the benedictions of the standing devotion (amidah) which contains the trishagion (qedusha) after Isaiah 6:3) for the festival of Pentecost and is in the form of a dialogue between God and the Torah.5 Two of these Qedushtot were composed by the aforemen-
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