www.joshwarshawsky.com/yedid-nefesh
From Chaverai Nevarech Vol. II: Shabbos EP, released October 19, 2021
Executive Producers: Marc and Susan Sacks
With generous additional funding provided by Sacred Sounds Unbound: Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills and Temple Beth Am Los Angeles
Sponsored by Har Zion Temple, Penn Valley, PA
Sponsored by Beth El Synagogue, Omaha, NE
Produced and mixed by Jeremy Lawrence
Engineered by Patrick Kehrier and Tyler Karmen
Additional Audio Editing by Josh Kay and Patrick Rimterakul
Mastered by Mike White
Vocal arrangements and production by Ayo Awosika
Musical direction by Brock Pollock
Directed by Dustin Warren
Produced by The Matterworks
Cinematography by Dustin Warren and Ricky Chavez
Edited by Dustin Warren
Recorded at 64 Sound in Highland Park, CA
Featuring the Chaverai Nevarech Band:
Josh Warshawsky (Guitar, Lead Vocals)
Brock Pollock (Music Producer, Bass)
Ayo Awosika (Vocal Producer, Vocals, Lead Vocals on Hapotei’ach, Piano on Darashti)
Coleen Dieker (Vocals, Piano on Yedid Nefesh)
Duvid Swirsky (Lead Guitar, Bouzouki, Banjo, Vocals)
Chava Mirel (Vocals)
Deborah Sacks Mintz (Vocals)
Jackson Vance Mercer (Vocals)
Lior Shragg (Percussion)
Jenni Asher (Violin)
Yedid Nefesh is a love poem. It is the opening of the Friday night service (Kabbalat Shabbat), where we welcome the Shabbat Queen into our homes, communities, and into our very souls. The melody itself is intended to invoke this feeling of love and yearning.
The way the melody works is the niggun (wordless melody) first, and then the verse melody is for the first two lines of each stanza. The niggun line comes back in with the words of the last line of each stanza, and then continues as a niggun in between verses. It could be great to have some strong female vocals to contrast my male lead vocals on this song. Might be nice to just do oo’s for the first two lines of each verse, but to build up and sing out the words for the third line? Also, could be cool to have the harmonies and counterpoints get more intricate and build up with each passing verse.
The last verse has a sense of urgency to it… the last line, “Maher ahuv, ki va moed,” means, “hurry, my love! The time has come!” and it leads us into the niggun (melody) again, with renewed strength.
Lyrics
יְדִיד נֶֽפֶשׁ, אָב הָרַחְמָן, מְשֹׁךְ עַבְדָּךְ אֶל־רְצוֹנָךְ, אֶל־רְצוֹנָךְ
יָרוּץ עַבְדָּךְ כְּמוֹ אַיָּל, יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל מוּל הֲדָרָךְ, מוּל הֲדָרָךְ,
יֶעֱרַב־לוֹ יְדִידוּתָךְ מִנֹּֽפֶת צוּף וְכָל־טָֽעַם.
הָדוּר, נָאֶה, זִיו הָעוֹלָם,
נַפְשִׁי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָתָךְ, אַהֲבָתָךְ
אָנָּא, אֵל, נָא, רְפָא־נָא לָהּ
בְּהַרְאוֹת לָהּ נֹֽעַם זִיוָךְ, נֹֽעַם זִיוָךְ,
אָז תִּתְחַזֵּק וְתִתְרַפֵּא,
וְהָיְתָה לָךְ שִׁפְחַת עוֹלָם.
וָתִיק, יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ, וְחוּס־נָא עַל־בֵּן אוֹהֲבָךְ, עַל־בֵּן אוֹהֲבָךְ,
כִּי זֶה כַּמָּה נִכְסֹף נִכְסַף
לִרְאוֹת בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזָּךְ, תִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזָּךְ
אָנָּא, אֵלִי, מַחְמַד לִבִּי,
חֽוּשָׁה־נָּא וְאַל תִּתְעַלָּם.
הִגָּלֶה־נָא וּפְרֹשׂ, חָבִיב, עָלַי אֶת־סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמָךְ, סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמָךְ,
תָּאִיר אֶֽרֶץ מִכְּבוֹדָךְ, נָגִֽילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בָּךְ, וְנִשְׂמְחָה בָּךְ. מַהֵר, אָהוּב, כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד,
וְחָנֵּֽנִי כִּימֵי עוֹלָם.
Yedid nefesh, Av harachaman, meshoch avdach el Retzonach. Yarutz avdach kemo ayal,
Yishtachave mul hadarach.
Ye’erav lo yedidutach,
minofet tsuf vechol ta’am.
Hadoor naeh ziv haolam,
nafshi cholat ahavatach.
Anah El nah refah nah lah,
B’harot lah noam zivach,
Az titchazek v’titrapeh,
v’hay’tah lah shifchat olam.
Vatik yehemoo rachamecha
v’chus na al ben ohavach.
ki zeh kamah nichsof nichsaf,
lir’ot betiferet oozach.
Anah Eyli, machmad leebee, chooshah nah v’al titalam.
Higaleh nah uf’ros chaviv alai,
et sukkat shelomach.
Tair eretz mikevodach,
nagilah v’nismechah bach.
Maher ahoov, ki va moed,
v’choneni kimei olam.