'Et sha'are ratzon

These are the first and last strophes of one of the most remarkable medieval Hebrew poems based on Midrashic themes that are related to the binding of Isaac. The poem was composed by Yehuda Abbas who lived in Fez (Morocco) and Aleppo (Syria) in the 12th century. It serves, in the Sephardi liturgy only, as a preface to the shofar service. This traditional Western Sephardi melody differs substantially from the tune for the same text sung in the Eastern Sephardi communities. The last stanza of the poem (Livritekha) is traditionally performed by the hazzan in an embellished version of the same melody used for the stanzas performed by the congregation. Notice that in this last stanza the trills on the words teruah and tekiah (names of different sound patterns of the shofar) appear to emulate the sounds of the shofar. The ending of this poem with the declaration "Tell Zion that the time for its salvation is near" is a highlight of the Rosh Hashanah services. The version sung by Rev. Lopes Cardozo is similar to the one from London, written down by Aguilar and De Sola (1857: 29-30, no. 30 for Et sha'are ratzon; see Jessurun 1931: 141, no. 12 for Livritekha).