THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS in this book describe the process by which Jewish writers adopted a Christian poetic mode that was popularized by clerics. One issue that merits consideration is the reception by these Jewish writers of anti-Semitic Christian cuaderna vía discourse. For example, it is interesting to ponder how Jews of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries might have reacted to hearing anti-Semitic episodes from Milagros, which may have occurred if Berceo's work was used as a model for instruction. Whether or not there was some reluctance among Jews to imitate a type of poetry that exploited anti-Semitic libels, this did not dissuade them as the works considered in this book testify. Moreover, any trepidation felt by these Jews did not discourage them from entering monasteries and studying with Christian clerics. Jews undoubtedly placed a value on learning cuaderna vía poetry for its capacity to disseminate information through a metrical form whose rhyme facilitated memorization.

The incorporation of cuaderna vía poems into the Jewish liturgy indicates that they enjoyed a widespread appeal, and it would be logical to conclude that these poems were used as such because of their performative character. The Jewish liturgy involves numerous hymns and prayers that are sung aloud by congregants and their spiritual leaders (rabbis or cantors), and the tendency for Christian clerical cuaderna vía poetry to be publicly performed may have encouraged Jews to imitate both its metrical structure and mode of dissemination. Additionally, the requirement for Jews to engage in communal worship may also have played a pivotal role in the popularization of Jewish cuaderna vía liturgical poems. According to the Talmud, Jews are obligated to pray aloud in a quorum of ten adults on certain occasions, including when reading from the Torah and when reciting prayers such as the Amidah. In light of this obligation, it is easy to envision how cuaderna vía poems, which Christian clerics also read aloud in group settings, were assimilated into the Jewish liturgy.