From the liturgy of Yom Kippur comes one of the most powerful stories and emotional events in Jewish History. The Romans had decreed that ten of the greatest Talmudic Sages of all time be put to a horrible death!

One of the sages, Rebbi Yishmael ben Elisha Kohen Gadol, is chosen to ascend to Heaven and find out whether this decree could be annulled. Upon his meeting the Angel Gabriel and inquiring as to the possibility of annulling the decree, the harsh and unequivocal response was that the decree was existential and would have to stand.

To write the composition and for Avremel Fried to then perform it with the gut wrenching pathos and awesome interpretation he exhibited on this recording, in my opinion, is and will always be one of the stellar performances of all time.

The interpretive arrangement and orchestration of this composition by the incomparable Moshe Laufer completed the triad of Fried, Green and Laufer. Tiher was one of the great and rewarding challenges for the three of us.

לכבוד יומא דהילולא של התנא הקדוש רבי ישמעאל בן אלישע כהן גדול
In honor of the yahrtzeit of the great Tanna Reb Yishmoel Ben Elisha Kohen Gadol.

טִהֵר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעאֵל עַצְמוֹ וְהִזְכִּיר אֶת הַשֵּׁם בְּסִילּוּדִים
וְעָלָה לַמָּרוֹם וְשָׁאַל מֵאֵת הָאִישׁ לְבוּשׁ הַבַּדִּים
וְנָם לוֹ קַבְּלוּ עֲלֵיכֶם צֲדִּיקִים וִידִידִים
כִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד כִּי בְזֹאת אֲתֶּם נִלְכָּדִים.

(תפלה ליום הכיפורים)