La proba diecena

Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5740b/12

Based on the liturgical poem composed in the 12th century by Rabbi Judah Ibn Abbas of Fez, is chanted on Rosh Hashanah and in some communities also on Yom Kippur. This is the biblical account of the sacrificing of Isaac (Genesis 22:1–14), it depicts Abraham’s faith, and the anguish of Sarah. Written in six-line stanzas, ending with the refrain “עוקד והנעקד והמזבח” (“the binder, the bound, and the altar”), the poem evokes the merit of the patriarchs and the power of their devotion as a plea for God’s mercy and salvation in the Days of Awe.