Shliach Sings Heartfelt “Yedid Nefesh”

For many, upon entering a synagogue during prayer, one is struck by the inspiring prayers, interspersed with beautiful songs and melodies.

But Rabbi Shmuli Stiefel, a Shliach in Lipetsk, Russia, struggled to reproduce that atmosphere in his Shul.

“I wondered how I could create that atmosphere,” he told COLlive, “if the crowd is unfamiliar with the lyrics and tunes?”

To address this, Stiefel has begun a new project – producing videos of various Jewish melodies and prayers which are sung in synagogues the world over.

Each week, Stiefel will release one song from the prayer book in a format conducive to singing along. The video will be captioned, and together with it, there will be a transcription of the lyrics in Russian, explanation and background of the song in Russian, and musical notes.

“Listeners can learn the songs so that they can sing in together with the congregation and turn their synagogues into that same beautiful and inspiring atmosphere!” Stiefel says.

VIDEO: Yedid Nefesh