Class 17 - Yedid Nefesh - Pining for the Loving God

Beloved of the soul, merciful Father,

draw Your servant to Your will.

[Then] Your servant will run like a deer;

he will bow before Your splendor.

To him, Your affections will be sweeter

than the drippings of the honeycomb and all [other pleasant] tastes.

Splendid, Beautiful, Radiance of the world,

my soul is lovesick for You.

I beseech You, Almighty, please, heal her

by showing her the pleasantness of Your radiance.

Then she will be strengthened and healed

and she will have everlasting joy.

Ancient One—let Your mercy be aroused,

and please have pity upon Your beloved child;

for it is long that I have yearned

to behold soon the glory of Your strength.

These my heart has desired,

please have pity and do not conceal Yourself.

Reveal Yourself, please and spread over me, my Beloved,

the shelter of Your peace,

let the earth be illuminated from Your glory,

we will exult and rejoice in You.

Hasten, show [us Your] love, for the time has come,

and be gracious unto us as in days of old.

I have abandoned My House, I have deserted My possession, I have given over My dearly beloved into the hands of her enemies.

Let yadid, son of yadid, come and build yadid for yadid in the portion of yadid, and let yedidim achieve atonement through it. Rabbi Ezra explained this statement: With regard to yadid in the phrase: Let yadid, this is King Solomon, as it is written after Solomon’s birth: “And He sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Yedidya, for the Lord’s sake” (II Samuel 12:25).

In the phrase: Son of yadid, this yadid is Abraham, as it is written: “What has My beloved [lididi] to do in My house” (Jeremiah 11:15). This verse is referring to Abraham, as will be explained. In the phrase: And build yadid, this yadid is the Temple, as it is written: “How lovely [yedidot] are Your tabernacles” (Psalms 84:2). And with regard to the term in the phrase: For Yadid, this is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is written: “Let me sing of my Beloved [lididi]” (Isaiah 5:1). In the portion of yadid; this yadid is the tribe of Benjamin, in whose territory the Temple was built, as it is stated that Moses blessed Benjamin in the following terms: “Of Benjamin he said: The beloved [yedid] of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him” (Deuteronomy 33:12). And let yedidim achieve atonement through it; these yedidim are the Jewish people, as it is written with regard to them: “I have given the dearly beloved [yedidut] of My soul into the hand of her enemies” (Jeremiah 12:7).

Merciful Father Hear our voice, Adonoy, our God; spare us and have compassion on us, and accept our prayers compassionately and willingly, for You are Almighty Who hears prayers and supplications; and from Your Presence, our King, do not turn us away empty-handed, be gracious and answer us and hear our prayer* for You hear the prayers of every mouth of Your people, Israel, with compassion. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who hears prayers.

Draw me after you, let us run! The king has brought me to his chambers. Let us delight and rejoice in your love, savoring it more than wine—Like new wine they love you!

Like a hind crying for water, my soul cries for You, O God;

more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter than honey, than drippings of the comb.

And (are) sweeter than honey and the honeycomb: – for honey is the food which is sweeter to man than any other; yet not-withstanding, if he continues to eat it, it does him harm and causes him to vomit; and food profits him (only) for the time being; but it is not so with wisdom, for, however much he increases therein, she will benefit him, and continue to benefit him for ever. And, as he says, they are to be desired. And by whom are they to be desired, and to whom are they sweet? To the wise and God-fearing...

Who is this coming from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah—Who is this, majestic in attire, pressing forward with great might? “It is I, who contend victoriously, powerful to give triumph.”

Said R. Hiya: ‘We have a tradition that when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah to Israel a light shone forth from that sphere which is called “Pleasantness”, a light wherewith the Holy One crowned Himself, and from which were irradiated all worlds...

“Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.”

I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem! If you meet my beloved, tell him this: that I am faint with love.

So Moses cried out to ה׳, saying, “O God, pray heal her!”

But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham My friend—

O our God, you dispossessed the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and You gave it to the descendants of Your friend Abraham forever.

the seed of Abraham, who loved Me who did not recognize Me because of the admonition and the teaching of his fathers, but out of love.

Very well, you had to leave because you were longing for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

For You are their strength in which they glory; our horn is exalted through Your favor.

...We therefore put our hope in You, haShem our God, to soon behold the glory of Your might...

HaShem our God; make us lie down in peace, our King, raise us again to life Spread over us the shelter of Your peace, and direct us to better ourselves through Your good counsel; and deliver us for Your Name’s sake. Shield us, and remove from us enemies, pestilence, sword, famine and sorrow. Remove the adversary from before us and from behind us, and shelter us in the shadow of Your wings. For, Almighty, You are our Protector and Rescuer, For, Almighty You are a gracious and merciful King. Guard our going out and our coming in for life and peace for now forever. Blessed are You, HaShem, Who guards His people Israel forever.

And there, coming from the east with a roar like the roar of mighty waters, was the Presence of the God of Israel, and the earth was lit up by that Presence.

Draw me after you, let us run! The king has brought me to his chambers. Let us delight and rejoice in your love, savoring it more than wine—Like new wine they love you!

You will surely arise and take pity on Zion, for it is time to be gracious to her; the appointed time has come.

In that day, I will set up again the fallen booth of David. I will mend its breaches and set up its ruins anew. I will build it firm as in the days of old,

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to GOD as in the days of yore and in the years of old.