from Act IV of the French opera
La Juive by Jacques François Fromental Halévy
Libretto: Eugène Scribe
Role: Eléazar, Jewish goldsmith and father of Rachel
Voice Part: tenor
Setting: the Emperor's palace, Constance, Switzerland, 1414
Synopsis: Eléazar's daughter Rachel has been condemned to death by Cardinal de Brogni for consorting with the Christian prince Léopold. However, Brogni does not realize that Rachel is actually his own daughter, saved from a fire in Roman years ago by Eléazar and raised as Eléazar's own daughter. Eléazar knows he can save her life by revealing this fact, but he is unable to reconcile his Jewish faith with forcing his daughter to change her faith.