Beloved of the Soul: Yedid Nefesh

BELOVED OF THE SOUL: YEDID NEFESH

,ןָמֲחַרָה באָ ,שֶׁפֶנ דיִדְי ךָנוֹצְר לֶא ךָדְּבַע ךֹשְׁמ ,לָיּאַ וֹמְכּ ךָדְּבַע ץוּרָי ךָרָדֲה לוּמ הֶוֲחַתְּשִׁי ,ךָתוּדיִדְי וֹל בַרֱעֶי יִכּ .םַעָֽט לָכְו ףוּצ תֶפֹֽנִּמ

,םָלוֹעָה ויִז ,הֶאָנ ,רוּדָה ךָתָבֲהאַ תַלוֹח יִשְׁפַנ ,הָּל אָנ אָפְר ,אָנ ,לֵא ,אָנּאָ ךָויִז םַעֹֽנ הָּל תוֹאְרַהְבּ ,אֵפַּרְתִתְו קֵזַּחְתִתּ זאָ .םָלוֹע תַחְפִשׁ ךָל הָתְיָהְו

,ךיֶמֲחַר וּמֱהֶי ,קיִתָו ,ךָבֲהוֹא ןֵבּ לַע אָנ סוּחְו

ףַסְכִנ ףֹסְכִנ הֶמַּכּ הֶז יִכּ ,ךָזֻּע תֶרֶאְפִתְּב תוֹאְרִל

,יִבִּל דַמְחַמ ,יִלֵא ,אָנּאָ .םָלַּעְתִתּ לאְַו אָנּ הָשׁוּֽח

,ביִבָח ,שֹׂרְפוּ אָנ הֵלָגִּה ,ךָמוֹלְשׁ תַכֻּס תֶא יַלָע ,ךָדוֹבְכִּמ ץֶרֶא ריִאָתּ ,ךָב הָחְמְשִׂנְו הָליִגָנ ,דֵעוֹמ אָב יִכּ ,בוּהאָ ,רֵהַמ .םָלוֹע יֵמיִכּ יִנֵּנָחְו Beloved of my soul, compassionate Parent, draw Your servant close to Your will. Like a deer, Your servant will run, reverent toward Your Presence, For Your love is sweeter than nectar, than any [imaginable] taste.

Glorious, beautiful, radiance of the world, my soul is faint with love for You. Please, God, heal [my soul], by shining on it Your tender radiance. Then she will recover her strength and be healed and will be Your servant for eternity.

Ancient One, may Your compassion continue to resound; please have mercy on Your beloved child. For so long I have yearned to see [and experience] the glory of Your strong Presence. Please, my God, my heart’s desire, hurry and do not hide.

Reveal Yourself, beloved, and spread over me Your canopy of peace. Illuminate the earth with Your glory! Let us sing and rejoice with You. Hurry, beloved, the time has come! Be gracious to me for all time.

THINK

First published in the 16th century, Yedid Nefesh is a haunting poem of love and spiritual longing. While we don’t know its author, its sentiments are so powerful and universal that we sing it at both the beginning and the end of Shabbat.

REFLECT

Everyone yearns for something. Our body might yearn for a warm bed, a cold drink, or a relaxing vacation.Our soul might yearn for recognition, for expression, for love. What do you long for this week? How might the spiritual space of Shabbat help you name and acknowledge that longing?

CONNECT

Yedid Nefesh is beautiful, but it can feel out of reach. Will we ever realize the love the poem describes? That is the work of being Jewish, to seek to be in a relationship with God, to seek to love not only our friends and family, but the Jewish people and the world as well. For some, the realization that there is one God points to us all being interconnected and nurtured by this love. On Shabbat, this vision, this love, is not out of reach. It’s in our hearts around the table, and in our mouths as we sing these words. PERSONAL PRAYER

Beloved of my soul: My family, my children, my loved ones, my God. Help me come close and enjoy every moment with those I love. And while it might be easier to love the people around me, I also yearn for my love for You and Your love for me. Give me the gift of Your love and may its light shine deep in my heart and connect us.

— Allison Kent,

Hollywood, Florida