Cantor and musical creator, Yisrael Ben Tulila, is launching a unique version of the legendary Shabbat hymn "Yigdal Elohim Chai," performed with deep emotion and soul. His intention is to bring the synagogue melodies to a wider audience, just as they are.
"It's much more than singing—it's a mission," Ben Tulila says to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News. "Having grown up in a synagogue from childhood, I have a deep desire to bring the special melodies of weekdays, Shabbat, and the High Holy Days to the hearts of the public—in the most authentic way, as if you’re actually hearing them in a prayer quorum."
The version of "Yigdal Elohim Chai" joins Ben Tulila's previous performance of the hymn "Veshamru," maintaining a clean, soft, and deep musical line—"like a taste from the synagogue," as he describes it.
Ben Tulila brings with him the flavors of the Moroccan melody from his father's home, but he is also connected to Ashkenazi, Jerusalemite, and Sephardic traditions. "I feel at home with every version," he says.
The project is accompanied by meticulous musical production: Erez Lonberg worked on the piano and musical production, and Noam Shapir plays the Kamancheh. According to Ben Tulila, this is just the beginning of an extensive hymn’s project, with additional performances already in advanced stages of production.
Regarding the hymn itself, he explains: "Yigdal Elohim Chai is an ancient hymn based on Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Faith—including creation, prophecy, the Torah, the Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead. It is sung on Friday nights at the conclusion of the Maariv prayer to a melody originating from the Izmir-Istanbul communities, which has been embraced by all Sephardic communities."
He adds, "In these times of war and steps toward redemption, the words of the song touch the heart and calm it—'He will send the end with the right hand of our Messiah, to redeem those who are waiting for His salvation.' Generations have hoped for and sung these words—and here we are, in this generation, witnessing the stages of redemption advancing step by step."