Kinnot

Kinnot (Hebrew: קינות‎; also kinnos, kinoth, qinot, qinoth; singular kinah or qinah) are dirges (sad poems) or elegies traditionally recited by Jews on Tisha B'Av to mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temple in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history, including the Crusades and the Holocaust. The Kinnot are recited on the night of Tisha B'Av after reciting the Book of Lamentations, which was also called "Kinnot" in the Talmudic era (see, e.g., Bava Batra 14b) before it assumed its more familiar name of "Eichah." The term is also used for a dirge or lament especially as sung by Jewish professional mourning women.

Development of the Ashkenazic Kinnot

The oldest Kinnot were composed by Rabbi Elazar Hakalir, who lived in Kiryath-Sepher in the Land of Israel (See Rosh. Brochos, ch. 5, siman 21. ).

His time has been set at different dates, from the second century, to the tenth or eleventh century of the common era. Based on Saadiah's Sefer ha-galuy, some place him in the 6th century. Older authorities consider him to have been a teacher of the Mishnah and identify him either with Eleazar b. 'Arak or with Eleazar b. Simeon. (See Heller, Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann. Ma'adanei Yom Tov. Brochos, ch. 5, siman 21, gloss 5.  where he discusses whether he was the son of Rashbi or another Rabbi Shimon).