I. First, spend some time reading Yedid Nefesh in the English and the Hebrew.
Authored by R. Elazar Azikri of Safed in the 16th cent.
Can you identify poetic structures? techniques? themes? allusions?
What is the primary message of the piyut?
What does it have to do with Shabbat?
II. IF YOU HAVE TIME, learn through the following sources to understand more of the allusions of the paytan.
I have deserted My possession,
I have given over My dearly beloved
Into the hands of her enemies.
(2) Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth,-b
For your love is more delightful than wine. (3) Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance,
Your name is like finest oil—
Therefore do maidens love you. (4) Draw me after you, let us run!
The king has brought me to his chambers.-d
Let us delight and rejoice in your love,
Savoring it more than wine—
Like new wine-e they love you!
(כ) יְהוּדָה בֶן תֵּימָא אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי עַז כַּנָּמֵר, וְקַל כַּנֶּשֶׁר, וְרָץ כַּצְּבִי, וְגִבּוֹר כָּאֲרִי, לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמָיִם.
(20) Judah ben Tema said: Be strong as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and fleet as a gazelle, and brave as a lion, to do the will of your Father who is in heaven.
my soul cries for You, O God; (3) my soul thirsts for God, the living God;
O when will I come to appear before God!
(יד) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה וְאָבִ֙יהָ֙ יָרֹ֤ק יָרַק֙ בְּפָנֶ֔יהָ הֲלֹ֥א תִכָּלֵ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים תִּסָּגֵ֞ר שִׁבְעַ֤ת יָמִים֙ מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְאַחַ֖ר תֵּאָסֵֽף׃ (טו) וַתִּסָּגֵ֥ר מִרְיָ֛ם מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים וְהָעָם֙ לֹ֣א נָסַ֔ע עַד־הֵאָסֵ֖ף מִרְיָֽם׃
III. Identify the primary prayerful emotion in Yedid Nefesh. How does the piyut capture the emotion described by Rabbi Nachman of Brastlov below? Does this help us to explain its placement on Shabbat?
(ב) וּכְשֶׁנִּתְגַּלֶּה הַחֶסֶד, הַיְנוּ הָאַהֲבָה וְהַהִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת, בִּבְחִינוֹת (שיר השירים ב׳:ה׳): כִּי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי, אֲזַי הוּא עוֹשֶׂה נְפָשׁוֹת, בְּחִינוֹת (בראשית י״ב:ה׳): וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ, הַיְנוּ שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה נְקֻדּוֹת לְאוֹתִיוֹת הַתּוֹרָה. כִּי אוֹתִיּוֹת בְּלֹא נְקֻדּוֹת, כְּגוּף בְּלֹא נֶפֶשׁ, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שׁוּם תְּנוּעָה וּפְעֻלָּה בְּלֹא נֶפֶשׁ – כֵּן הִצְטָרְפוּת וְזִוּוּגָן שֶׁל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת בְּרל"א שְׁעָרִים לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵיזֶה פְּעֻלָּה, אֵין לָהֶם כֹּחַ אֶלָּא לְפִי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת.
(2) When the lovingkindness—i.e., the love and yearning, as in (Song of Songs 2:5), “I am lovesick”—is revealed, he then makes souls, as in, “the souls which they made.” In other words, he makes vowel points for the letters of the Torah. For letters without vowel points are like a body without a soul; lacking a soul, they have absolutely no movement or function. The same applies to the combining and uniting of the letters in the Two Hundred Thirty-One Gates. The power they have to carry out some function is only in proportion to the vowel points. { “We will make for you torei (necklaces) of gold with points of kesef (silver)” (Song of Songs 1:11). }
(א) ז וְדַע שֶׁלֹּא דַּי לָאָדָם בְּהִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת בַּלֵּב בִּלְבַד, כִּי צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהוֹצִיא בִּשְׂפָתָיו כִּסּוּפָיו, וְעַל זֶה נִסְדַּר סֵדֶר הַתְּפִלּוֹת.
(ב) כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת בַּלֵּב, נַעֲשֶׂה נֶפֶשׁ וּנְקֻדּוֹת בְּכֹחַ, וּכְשֶׁמּוֹצִיא אֶת תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ בְּפִיו, אֲזַי נַעֲשֶׂה הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּפֹעַל. כִּי עִקַּר מוֹצָא הַנֶּפֶשׁ הִיא מִפִּיו, בִּבְחִינַת (שיר השירים ה׳:ו׳): נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ, וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה: תּוֹרָה יְבַקְּשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ, מִפִּיהוּ דַּיְקָא.
(1) 7. And know! it is not enough for a person to just long in [his] heart. He has to express his yearnings orally. To this end, the prayers were established.
(2) As a result of the longing in the heart, a soul and vowel points are made in potential. Then, when he expresses his yearning orally, the soul is actualized. For the soul comes forth primarily from his mouth, as in (Song of Songs 5:6), “My soul came forth when he spoke.” And because of this, “seek Torah from his mouth.” Specifically from “his mouth.”
(א) זִוּוּגָן וְהִצְטָרְפוּתָן שֶׁל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הוּא עַל־יְדֵי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת, כִּי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת הֵם הַחִיּוּת וְהַתְּנוּעָה שֶׁל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת, וּבְלִי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הֵם כְּגֹלֶם, וְאֵין בָּהֶם שׁוּם תְּנוּעָה. וְעַל כֵּן הַנְּקֻדּוֹת הֵם בְּחִינַת נֶפֶשׁ, כִּי כְּמוֹ שֶׁהַנֶּפֶשׁ הוּא חִיּוּת הָאָדָם, וְכָל תְּנוּעָה שֶׁאָדָם מִתְנוֹעֵעַ, הַכֹּל הוּא עַל־יְדֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ, וּבִלְתִּי הַנֶּפֶשׁ הוּא כְּגֹלֶם, כֵּן הַנְּקֻדּוֹת הֵם הַחִיּוּת וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ שֶׁל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת, וּבְלִי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת הֵם כְּגֹלֶם, וְאֵין לָהֶם שׁוּם תְּנוּעָה וְחִיּוּת, רַק עַל־יְדֵי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת הֵם מִתְנוֹעֲעִין, וְעַל־יְדֵי הַנְּקֻדּוֹת נִזְדַּוְּגִין וְנִצְטָרְפִין הָאוֹתִיּוֹת.
(ב) וְעִקַּר הִתְהַוּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, הוּא עַל־יְדֵי הַהִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת וְהַכִּסּוּפִין שֶׁל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחַר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, כָּל אֶחָד לְפִי מַדְרֵגָתוֹ שֶׁהוּא נִכְסָף וּמִשְׁתּוֹקֵק וּמִתְגַּעְגֵּעַ לְהַגִּיעַ אֶל מַדְרֵגָה לְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנָּה, עַל־יְדֵי הַכִּסּוּפִין אֵלּוּ נַעֲשֶׂה נֶפֶשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהלים פד): נִכְסְפָה וְגַם כָּלְתָה נַפְשִׁי, הַיְנוּ מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי נִכְסָף וְכָלֶה אַחַר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, מִזֶּה בְּעַצְמוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה נַפְשִׁי.
(ג) וְזֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ביצה טז.): וַיִּנָּפַשׁ – כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁבַת, וַי אָבְדָה נֶפֶשׁ. הַיְנוּ שֶׁבִּתְחִלַּת הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְקַבֵּל נֶפֶשׁ יְתֵרָה, אָנוּ זוֹכְרִין מֵאֲבֵדַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּחֹל, וְאוֹמְרִים: וַיִּנָּפַשׁ – וַי אָבְדָה נֶפֶשׁ, וּמַתְחִילִין לְהִתְגַּעְגֵּעַ אַחֲרֶיהָ. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ מִתְגַּעְגְּעִין אַחַר הַנֶּפֶשׁ, מִזֶּה בְּעַצְמוֹ נִתְהַוֶּה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַיְתֵרָה:
(1) 11. The unification and combination of letters is achieved through the vowel points. This is because the vowel points are what give life and movement to the letters. Without the vowel points, the letters are golem-like and motionless. Thus, the vowel points correspond to the soul; just as the soul is a person’s vitality and every movement a man makes is through the soul, without which he is like a golem, so the vowel points are the vitality and soul of the letters, without which they are golem-like and have no movement or life. Only through the vowel points do they move, and through the vowel points the letters unite and combine.
(2) Now the soul comes into being primarily through the longing and yearning which a Jew has for God—each person commensurate with his level, that he yearns, longs and craves to reach the next level. Through these yearnings a soul is created, as is written, “My soul yearns and pines.” In other words, that which I yearn and pine for God, from this itself “my soul” is created.
(3) This is what our Sages taught (Beitza 16a): “[but on Shabbat He ceased working] vayenafash (and He rested)”—as soon as He ceased working, vay avdah nefesh (woe! the soul has departed). In other words, at the onset of Shabbat, when we must receive the extra soul, we recall the departure of the soul during the week. We say, “vayenafash —woe! the soul has departed,” and we start to long for it. And by virtue of this itself that we long for the soul, from this itself the extra soul comes into being.