Yih'yu L'Ratzon (2017)

SATB/SATB Acappella Double Chorus

Performed by the KC VITAs Chamber Choir
Mr. Jackson Thomas, conductor

Originally derived from the Psalms, Yih’yu L’Ratzon is commonly known as the penultimate line of the Amidah, the central prayer of each of the three daily services in the Jewish tradition. In the Amidah, the Yih’yu L’Ratzon is succeeded only by the Oseh Shalom (the prayer for peace). While the Oseh Shalom is one of the most celebrated texts in Jewish liturgy, it has no direct mention of God; rather, God is merely referred to as ‘the maker of peace.’ This results in a prayer that celebrates and honors both universality and a global hope for peace. In contrast, the Yih’yu L’Ratzon strongly emphasizes the first person and the self, particularly with direct mentions of God as my rock and my redeemer. In Judaism, the intimate but individualized focuses of the self and of one’s community are highly emphasized in an environment of prayer. As the Oseh Shalom celebrates universality and the hope for peace in a communal fashion, the Yih’yu L’Ratzon becomes the final opportunity in the Amidah (and one could argue the only opportunity) for a brief but earnest moment of personal prayer, meditation, supplication, and reflection. This setting of Yih’yu L’Ratzon is a meditation and an incantation of this beautiful prayer.

TEXT (translation):
"May it be desired that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

Artwork:
David Baruch Wolk
“Blessed is He Who Redeems and Rescues, Blessed is His Name” (From the Morning Prayers)
(Oil on Canvas, 2013).
Used with gracious permission from the Artist

Yih'yu L'Ratzon - יהיו לרצון - SATB/SATB double acappella chorus - (2017)

pianist, banjoist, composer
PHL → BOS → A2 → PHL
👨‍🎓 NEC | UMich 
💼 TempleU (Boyer) | WCUPA (Wells)

Yih'yu L'Ratzon - יהיו לרצון - SATB/SATB double acappella chorus - (2017)

Ari Sussman