Yedid Nefesh

yedid nefesh

יְדִיד נֶפֶשׁ

Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

Hebrew

יְדִיד נֶפֶשׁ, אָב הָרַחְמָן, מְשׁוֹךְ עַבְדָּךְ אֶל רְצוֹנָךְ.
יָרוּץ עַבְדָּךְ כְּמוֹ אַיָּל, יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה מוּל הֲדָרָךְ.
כִּי יֶעֱרַב לוֹ יְדִידוּתָךְ, מִנֹּפֶת צוּף וְכָל טָעַם.

Israeli

yedid nefesh, av harachman, meshoch avdach El retzonach.
yarutz avdach k'mo ayal, yishtachaveh mul hadarach.
ki ye-erav lo yedidutach, minofet tzuf vechol ta-am.

Hebrew

הָדוּר, נָאֶה, זִיו הָעוֹלָם, נַפְשִׁי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָתָךְ.
אָנָּא, אֵל נָא, רְפָא נָא לָהּ, בְּהַרְאוֹת לָהּ נֹעַם זִיוָךְ.
אָז תִּתְחַזֵּק וְתִתְרַפֵּא, וְהָיְתָה לָךְ שִׁפְחַת עוֹלָם.

Israeli

hadur, na-eh, ziv ha-olam, nafshi cholat ahavatach.
ana, El na, refa na lah, beharot lah no-am zivach.
az titchazek vetitrapei, vehaytah lach shifchat olam.

Hebrew

וָתִיק, יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ, וְחוּסָה נָּא עַל בֵּן אוֹהֲבָךְ.
כִּי זֶה כַמָּה נִכְסֹף נִכְסַפְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּתִפְאֶרֶת עֻזָּךְ.
אָנָּא, אֵלִי, מַחְמַד לִבִּי, חוּשָׁה נָּא, וְאַל תִּתְעַלָּם.

Israeli

vatik, yehemu rachamecha, vechusah na al ben ohavach.
ki zeh chamah nichsof nichsafti lirot b'tiferet uzach.
ana, Eli, machmad libi, chushah na, ve-al titalam.

Hebrew

הִגָּלֶה נָא וּפְרוֹשׂ, חָבִיב, עָלַי אֶת סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמָךְ.
תָּאִיר אֶרֶץ מִכְּבוֹדָךְ, נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בָךְ.
מַהֵר, אָהוּב, כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד, וְחָנֵּנִי כִּימֵי עוֹלָם.

Israeli

higaleh na ufros, chaviv, alai et sukat sh'lomach.
ta-ir eretz mikvodach, nagilah venismechah vach.
maher, ahuv, ki va mo-ed, vechoneni kimei olam.

Commentary

… behalf of Miriam (Num. 12:13). כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד For the appointed time has come: Psalm 102:14, “You will surely arise and take pity on Zion, for it is time to be gracious to her; the appointed time has come” – a reference, in this context, to the messianic age.

יְדִיד נֶפֶשׁ Beloved of the soul: A poem of passionate love for God, written by the Safed kabbalist Rabbi Elazar ben Moses Azikri (1533–1600). Azikri was part of a mystical fellowship whose members undertook to relinquish all worldly activity and devote their time exclusively to study, prayer and meditation. He wrote “Beloved of the soul,” which he called “a prayer for union and the desire of love,” around 1584. It is one of the boldest expressions of love in Jewish literature, reminiscent in mood of the Song of Songs. יְדִיד נֶפֶשׁ Beloved of the soul: in Jeremiah 12:7, God calls Israel, “the beloved of My soul.” מְשׁוֹךְ עַבְדָּךְ Draw Your servant close: Song of Songs 1:4, “Draw me after You, let us run!” אָנָּא, אֵל נָא, רְפָא נָא לָהּ Please, God, heal her now: Moses’ prayer on …