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Composed: c.1575 – c.1625 CE

Yedid Nefesh (Hebrew: ‎יְדִיד נֶפֶש‎) is the title of a piyyut. It is usually sung on the Jewish Sabbath. ‎Some sing it between Minhah (afternoon prayer) of Friday and the beginning of Kabbalat Shabbat. ‎It is sung by many Jews during Seudah Shelishit (the third meal on Shabbat; the first is on Friday ‎night, the second on Saturday lunch, and the third on Saturday before nightfall). Many Hasidim ‎say or sing it every morning before beginning to the Pesukei dezimra section of Shaharit in order to ‎arouse their love of God in preparation for the praises of Pesukei dezimra. This poem is commonly ‎attributed to the sixteenth century kabbalist, Rabbi Elazar ben Moshe Azikri (1533-1600), who first ‎published it in Sefer Haredim, but he did not claim authorship. Stefan C. Reif notes the first ‎appearance of Yedid Nefesh in the Samuel ben David ben Solomon’s commentary on Numbers.‎

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