Take the 2-minute tour ×  I have always thought that Aleinu was
a piyyut (liturgical poem), not a "prayer" since it does not
have a bracha in it. I was surprised to find that the Wikipedia
page for piyyut does not list it, and that the page for Aleinu
calls it a prayer. I realize that Wikipedia may not be the most
authoritative source for Jewish answers, so I am asking it here.
Is Aleinu considered a piyyut or a prayer? Either way, why? A
related (unanswered) question is: Why are Ashre and Alenu
considered communal prayers?  share|improve this question What
is the difference? –  Double AA Mar 2 at 13:23 @DoubleAA I am
not entirely sure. I had thought that tehillim, most zemirot,
Aleinu, were all piyyut, but based on the answer Ypnypn
submitted below, I might have my criteria wrong. –  Mike Mar 2
at 16:00  1 Answer 1  Actually, a text can be both a prayer and
a piyyut. A prayer is a type of content, whereas a piyyut is a
type of style. A prayer is when one talks to God (OED, MW); it
need not contain a bracha.