In Yedid Nefesh, “Kel na refa na lah” is a request for Hashem to heal our souls
I’ve always felt a strongly personal connection to the words of Yedid Nefesh. Maybe it’s because as a little girl I spent most Friday nights singing it on the couch with my only sister. Maybe it’s because when my sister got married, I walked down the aisle to that song. But maybe, it’s because even as a child, I sensed the depth of the poetic and powerful words of this song, which touch on the intimate relationship between us and Hashem.
One line of the song is borrowed from a pasuk describing Miriam’s tzaraas. “Kel na refa na lah,” says Moshe Rabbeinu. The word “na,” which can either mean “please” or “now,” is used twice here. If we translate them each time differently, the translation is simple: “Please G-d, heal her (Miriam) now.”
But what if both instances of “na” mean please? Why is Moshe saying please twice?
Rav Shimshon Pincus explains that this pasuk actually contains two requests: “Please G-d” and “Please heal her.”
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