El Melech Yosheiv is one of the key prayers of Selichot, introducing the 13 divine attributes, which we repeat many times over the holiday period. The text is one of the oldest parts of the Selichot liturgy, dating back to the Babylonian and Talmudic period. It imagines God as King, sitting on a throne of mercy, pardoning His people automatically due to His 13 divine attributes of mercy. While Ashkenazim begin saying Selichot from the Saturday night before Rosh Hashana, Sefardim start at the beginning of Elul. This beautiful melody of unknown authorship, (beginning partway into the paragraph of El Melech Yosheiv) forms one of the great emotional highlights of the holiday period, particularly with its many repetitions during Kol Nidrei and N’ila, and in many communities, it has become a leitmotif for the High Holidays.