Ya'aleh Ve-Yavo

views updated

YA'ALEH VE-YAVO

YA'ALEH VE-YAVO (Heb. יַעֲלֶה וְיָבֹא; "may [our remembrance] arise and come … before Thee"), the name of the additional prayer recited on the new moon and on festivals, during the evening, morning, and afternoon Amidah (with the exception of Rosh Ha-Shanah and the Day of Atonement), and during the *Grace after Meals. First mentioned in the Talmud (Ber. 29b; Sof. 19:7), its style is similar to that of the early paytanim. The name is derived from a phrase in its opening line. Specific mention is made of the occasion on which it is said (e.g., "this day of Passover") in the body of the request for "deliverance, happiness, grace, kindness, mercy, life, and peace." According to Rashi, it is also a "supplication for Israel and for Jerusalem, and for the reinstitution of the Temple service and of the sacrifices of the day" (Rashi to Shab. 24a). For this reason the prayer is recited during the 17^th benediction in the Amidah and the third in the Grace after Meals, which deal with those subjects. The problem as to whether its omission during the recital of either of these benedictions requires that it be repeated is answered differently according to the occasion and the festival (Sh. Ar., oḤ 424: 1). In communal worship, when in the course of this prayer the reader recites the phrases "remember us O Lord our God, thereon for good," "be mindful of us for blessing," and "save us unto life," it is customary for the congregation to respond to each with "Amen."