Tishkowsky's setting of the hammavdil text, a hymn in the liturgy for the conclusion of the Sabbath, was arranged into the present expanded choral setting for concert use by Maurice Goldman, an important figure in the Jewish musical life of Los Angeles. This arrangement was found in the repertory archive of the Halevi Choral Society in Chicago, which sang a number of Tishkowsky's pieces. The text is attributed to Rabbi Isaac ibn Ghayyat, who lived in Spain during the 11th century and is remembered as the teacher of Rabbi Isaac Alfasi, author of a famous talmudic compendium. The poem, believed to have been written originally for the n'ila (concluding) service of Yom Kippur, contains biblical references at the end of each stanza.