Rabbi Sacks called Y'did Nefesh "one of the boldest expressions of love in Jewish literature, reminiscent in mood of the Song of Songs". First published by the kabbalist and poet Elazar Azikri in 1601, although generally believed to have been written by him, it has been found possibly in a manuscript as early as 1438. Azikri's diary contains the following epigraph for Y'did Nefesh: "A poem about unity and the desire of love". Each verse of Y'did Nefesh articulates a different relationship with the divine, first as a male servant, then as a female servant, then as God’s child, and finally as God's lover. The first letters of each stanza make up the four letter ineffable name of God. Y'did Nefesh is often sung at Kabbalat Shabbat, as well as on Shabbat afternoon at Seuda Sh'lishit. Emulating a lover who has been separated from his beloved, we excitedly sing it on Friday afternoon, and repeat it more wistfully as Shabbat draws to a close. This beautiful lesser-known melody was composed by Abie Rotenberg in the 1990s.