Yigdal

Yigdal (Hebrew: יִגְדָּל; yighdāl, or Hebrew: יִגְדַּל; yighdal; means "Magnify ") is a Jewish hymn which in various rituals shares with Adon 'Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. It is based on the 13 Articles of Faith (sometimes referred to as "the 13 Creeds") formulated by Moses ben Maimon, and was written by Daniel ben Judah Dayan, who spent eight years in improving it, completing it in 1404. This was not the only metrical presentment of the Creeds; but it has outlived all others, whether in Hebrew or in the vernacular. A translation can be found in any bilingual siddur.

With the Ashkenazim only thirteen lines are sung, one for each creed; and the last, dealing with the resurrection of the dead, is repeated to complete the antiphony when the hymn is responsorially sung by Chazzan and congregation. The Sephardim, who sing the hymn in congregational unison throughout, use the following line as the 14th: "These are the 13 bases of the Rule of Moses and the tenets of his Law".