Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.136 January 20, 1998 1) Der Berditchever Rov (Burton (Berel) Leiser) 2) Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev (Allen Maberry) 3) Levi Yitzhak (Bob Kurtzman) 4) mishling (Joshua Fogel) 5) tuleyne and Shakespeare (Dan Gilman) 6) khaykl shapire in yiddish (Dovid Yosef Herskovic) 7) Yiddish Word for Sweaters (Jim Feldman) 8) bal-dover (Monika Feil) 9) yidish in di oygn fun di yunge (mirke (marion) herbst) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 11:09:55 EST From: BLeiser77 Subject: Der Berditchever Rov In response to the inquiry in 07.133 regarding Reb Levi Yitzkhok's Din Toyre: Reb Levi Yitzkhok ben Meir of Berditchev (1740-1810) was one of the greatest of all the khsidim during the early days of that movement. He is still revered as a great tzaddik, and his wisdom is frequently recounted by khsidisch rebbes at tisch on shabbes and yontif. He was renowned throughout eastern Europe, especially Poland and the Ukraine, in his day, and took on the misnagdim in public debates. He even had the khutzpeh to organize Jewish leaders to oppose the governments prohibition of Jewish settlements and other oppressive measures. He emphasized the virtues of joy and dvekus (adhering to God), and prayer davening (you should excuse the expression) with devotion and fervor. He often addressed God directly in his prayers, pleading the cause of his people. From these famous prayers came the well-known and often-recorded Kaddish of R. Levi Yitzkhok, in which he pleads with the Lord to have rakhmones on his folk Yisroel. Zalman Shneur's poem, "Din Toyre Khodosh l'rabbi Levi Yitzkhok mi-Berditchev, is one of many in which his prayers are depicted; and Yosef Opatoshu's story, "In Poylishe Velder," portrays him. For further information, check the Encyclopedia Judaica's excellent article about him. Burton (Berel) Leiser 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 09:19:55 -0800 (PST) From: "A. Maberry" Subject: Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev I vaguely remember a record of cantorial and other arias which I heard in the early 1970s (which explains the vagueness of my response). It contained this piece, but I think the title on the record was "The Prayer of Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev". I have looked at the contents of records done by Jan Peerce from the 1960s and 70s but I can't find this title. As far as I can determine, "A din-toyre mit Got" is also known as the "Kaddish fun Rabi Levi-Yitzhak Barditshever" and has been set to music at least 3 and possibly more times. Once by Joel Engel (1868-1927) as the "Kaddisch des Rabbi Levi-Jitzchak Barditzewer" (Berlin: Juwal, 1923); by Leo Low (1878-1962) as "A din-toyre mit Got (R. Levi Yitshak Berditshever's kadish)" (New York: Metro Music, 1927); and by Erwin Jospe "A din toire mit Got (A judgement against God" (New York: Board of Jewish Education, 1951". As I recall, the record also contained a rendition of "Hineni". It might have come in a greyish color box and included a rather large book of the texts of the arias along with other notes. If anyone can identify it, I would be anxious to know as I would like to find a copy or a tape of it. Allen Maberry 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 22:27:41 +0200 From: "Gilda and Bob Kurtzman" Subject: Levi Yitzhak In answer to Susan Kray's query about Levi Yitzhak , let me say there was a Levi Yitzhak from Berditchiv and he according to a prayer song he composed brought the Master of the Universe to a din toyra on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur. We are not dealing with a mythical figure but an actual person. Levi Yitzhak (c. 1740-1810) ben Meir was the son of a prominent rabbi. His father was attracted to what was then a young movement. hasidism and Levi Yitzhak became a hasid .After Levi Yitzhak was ordained a rabbi he preached and practiced hasidism much to the chagrin of the misnagdim (anti-Hasidism). He was admired even by the misnagdim for his knowledge of talmud and halacha (Jewish law).He was utterly devoted to his people Israel and only rebuked their waywardness with loving care. He suffered the misfortunes of his fellow Jews and along with other Jewish leaders turned to the authorites to remove the prohibition on Jewish settlement in the villages. He stressed the good that is in man and always pleaded the cause of Jews.He said that only he who" admonishes Jewish people gently, elevatestheir souls and always extols their righteousness is worthy of being their leader.Levi Yitzhak always sees the positive in what individual Jews do. While Jews chided and rebuked a baal agola (wagon driver) who while praying with his talis and tefilin was greasing the axles of his wagon . According to the legend Levi Yitzhak turns to the Holy One Blessed Be He and says: How wonderfull are your children Israel, while he is working he prays to you.(For a full picture of the historical Levi Yitzhak and the legend see Encyclopedia Judaica,volume 11 pp. 102-104 Popular tradition has preserved prayor songs attributed to Levi Yitzhak. In singing his prayers he addressed the Creator in Yiddish. He is most famous for "The Kaddish of Reb. Levi Yitzhak" According to one tradition Levi Yitzhak overwhelmed by the suffering the physical and spiritual woes of his brethern and as the defender of his people he comes before the Almighty on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur and in a sense brings the Almighty to trial Levi Yitzhak prepares his case very carefully and tries to avoid bringing any evidence that can be refuted. He says good morning Master of the Universe I, Levi Yitzhak son of Sara come to bring you to trial in the name of your people Israel.( A dear departed friend once said , you notice Levi Yitzhak identifiies himself as son of Sara and not Meir. You know when they make a blessing for someone who is ill and wish him a quick recovery they call him son of and mention his mothers name. We want to identify the ill person as definitely as possibleI We know for certain who his mother was but... In the song Levi Yitzhak asks what does the Almighty want from them,why all this suffering why all the terrible decrees. He mentions great nations that were and are gone. The English claim that their king is a king. The Italians claim that their kingdom is a kingdom, but I Levi Yitzhak son of Sara say the KING WHO SEATS ON THE HIGHEST THRONE IS THE KING. I will not move from this place and a miracle should occur and an end to all the suffering hould come, now ( Nothing happens no sign is given Levi Yitzhak realizes he has lost the trial but he has not lost his faith and with tears in his eyes and heart proclaims his faith Yisgadal vyiskadash shmay raba (Magnified and consecrated is His name. It is a powerful piece and has been a favorite number for Yiddish singers, especially cantors. Some of the most famous renditions that I have heard are by Jan Peerce, Moishe Oiysher and Moishe Kousivitzky. Bob Kurtzman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 14:45:27 -0800 From: "Joshua Fogel" Subject: mishling? A colleague who is not a subscriber to Mendele asked me to post the following query: The term "Mischling," since it was used by the Nazis in the Nuremberg Laws, has terrible connotations. On H-Antisemitism it has been asserted that the term is entirely a German term, whereas others have suggested that it existed in Yiddish before the nazi period and referred to a "half-Jew" in the sense of someone with a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother. Weinreich simply lists "half-breed." Does anyone have any more specific information about the pre-1933 uses of the term by Yiddish speakers? Joshua Fogel Santa Barbara, CA 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 01:22:08 -0500 From: Dan Gilman Subject: tuleyne and Shakespeare My latest question comes from my favorite source of Yiddish words and phrases: my grandmother, a second-generation American who mostly spoke English growing up. Because her best language was always English, Grandmom's Yiddish seems to have absorbed a number of Americanisms, as far as I can tell -- I can't verify this until I learn the language better. A word that everybody on her side of the family, including my mother's generation, seems to know is "tuleyne." Any guesses before I give it away? It means "Italian" -- specifically, an Italian girl or woman. I know of no "real" Yiddish word for any kind of Italian person, other than italyener. This is the basis for my guess that it is an Americanism. Also, it seems to me that until my family moved from the Ukraine and Russia to Philadelphia, there couldn't have been much need for such a specific term for an Italian. "Tuleyne" strikes me as a word that grew out of the sudden need for a handy term for a specific kind of non-Jew; "goy," "shikse," and "sheygetz" all became inadequate in a neighborhood filled with Italians, Irish, Germans, and Poles, as well as Jews from various districts. >From the way my family uses it, "tuleyne" seems to be a sub-categorization of "shikse," since there is no "tuleyner." An Italian woman is not a tuleyne by birth, but by association with a Jewish man. ("Is Harry still dating that tuleyne?") So, after all that deep background, does anyone else know anything about this? To completely change topic, Al Grand brought up Shakespearean Yiddish in Vol. 7.133. I heard an interesting translation a while ago, and I was hoping somebody could clarify the translation options. In the play "Conversations With My Father," by Herb Gardner, an old Yiddish actor gives a condensed version of his entire repertoire, including favorite Shakespearean roles. (To digress for a moment: it's a wonderful play, go see it!) He recites the beginning of Hamlet's soliloquy as "Tzu zayn, oder nisht tzu zayn; dos iz di frage." However, at an informal lecture that I attended on Yiddish theater and storytelling, the speaker gave the following English-to-Yiddish-to-English translation of the same line: "To be or not to be; that is where the dog is buried." Who is right? Is there a standard Yiddish Hamlet? Has anyone ever heard that expression? Dan Gilman 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 07:26:02 +0000 From: David Herskovic Subject: khaykl shapire in yiddish Al Grand hot gefreygt vegn Shakespeare (in der haym fleygt men eym rifn khaykl shapire) in yidish. Ot hot ir a mase. Pasirt hot di mase in tof kif lamed tsadik in a shteytl nisht vat fin dantsig. In deym shteytl hobn gevoynt a minyen mit a halb yidn arangerekhnt in zay a ruv, a rosh hakohel, a shames, a shoykhet in a melamed. A klayn shteytl fin yidn in maz; erlikhe yidn vos zenn koym geshlofn in erlikhe maz vos zenn asakh geshlofn, in ver ret nokh bay nakht hot men fin zay kan muk nisht gehert. Vayehi hayoym in deym derfele in der rosh hakohel, a yinger mentsh, iz loy olayni v'loy alaykhem avek. Er hot nebekh iber gelost a yinge almone mit a yoseml, khayim hot er gehaysn, fin a por yor alt. Es is dorkh di shive, di shloyshim in der shtot hot ofgenimn far a rosh hakohel a bridr finm nifter. Es zenn fariber nokh a por khodoshim in men hot ongehoybn tsi redn shidikhim farn elnde almone. Der frishe rosh hakohel iz gevekyn an altn bokhr in eym hot zikh farshmekt khasene tsi hobn mit zan brider's almone. Der shtot hot zikh iber gedrayt of tishe nantsig: vos hayst? loy yayose khayn bimkoymayni, s'iz a beferesher lav in di toyre in nokh dertsi a rosh hakohel. Der ruv farshtayt zikh hot gepaskent az men tor nisht nor der ruv iz take run; balebos iz ober der rosh hakohel. Dos por folk hobn khasene gehat in es hot kayner nisht dervagt zikh keygn tsishteln. Es zenen fariber apor yor in khayiml iz ofgevaksn in er iz gevor gevorn fin di gantse mase. Fin groys agmes neyfesh iz in eym aran, nisht hant gedakht, a dibek. Er fleygt arim loyfn of di geser shrayen az er zeyt shaydim in az der tate kimt tsi eym alts in kholem. Ven er is gor meshige gevorn fleygt er nokhloyfn di maydlekh: amol hot er zikh tsikisht mit zay in amol hot er zay balaydikt. Er fletgt okh shreklekh bazidln zan shtif tate in zan mame bifnay kohel v'ayde. Amol of pirim hot er gemakht a shpil in er hot oysgedrayt der pirim mase az vashti hot gor geharget akhashvayroyshn in homon hot zikh in vashtin farshmekt in khasene gehat mit ir. Der rosh hakohel is aroysgelofn in der mit, der oylm hot zikh gehaltn in di zatn in s'iz geveyn layehidim hoyso oyro. Di shtot hot zikh mit eym mekhaye geveyn. Nokh dem pirim mase hot men eym anomn gegeybn khayim lets vos fin deym iz gevorn khayimlet. Oser di ale mases hot er getanet az vibald der ruv hot tsi gelost aza shtikl iz bay eym opgefreygt gants yidishkayt in er vert a maskil. Er hot zikh getosht di klayder in ofgehert redn yidish. Er hot zikh dertsi osgelernt eynglish in geredt groyse filozofishe bagrifn vos kayner hot nisht farshtanen. Men hot eym oykh gezeyn redn tsi zikh alayn in nokh azelkhe meshinedike zakhn. Er fleygt oft kimn in bes medresh aran baym daf hayoymi shier in shtil oyshern. Ayn tog iz der shier geveyzn dort vi der gemore hot a makhloykes tsi toyv loy leodom shenivro misheloy nivro dos hayst tsi es is beser farn mentsh az er is yo bashafn gevorn vi ayder nisht bashafn tsi vern, oder farkert, iz es endersh nisht bashafn tsi vern vi ayder yo. Indzer khayimlet hot dos gehert iz er ofgeshpringn in hoykh arangeshrign inem shier aran 'To be or not to be? That is the question'. Der oylm hot gornisht farshtanen fin vos er redt in men hot eym probirt shtil tsi makhn, nor yankl khokhem iz okh geveyn baym shier in er iz shoyn yo geveyn a mayven. Hot er zikh a khap getin dos bord mit ayn hant in mitn tsvaytn hant hot er avek gemakht khayimlet, 'eh, tsi zan oder nisht tsi zan, okh mir a shale'. Dovid Yosef Herskovic 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 10:56:31 -0500 From: "Jim Feldman" Subject: Yiddish Word for Sweaters Does anyone know whether there is a Yiddish word for "sweater" -- the knit garment worn in the winter time? Weinreich lists "sveter," but that sounds like either a neologism or at best a term that exists only in America. Harkavy lists terms that have to do with sweating or with working in a sweatshop. In light of the close connection between = Eastern European Jews and the garment trade, I would be surprised if they did not have a term for "sweater." Or is it that knit garments of that type were simply not known in Eastern Europe? Jim Feldman Washington, D.C. 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 23:48:54 +0100 From: Monika Feil Subject: BAL-DOVER Is there anybody who could translate the word BAL-DOVER into German? My English is not good enough to be sure if I got the right meaning of that word out of my Yiddish-English dictionaries. Monika Feil 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 21:22:19 EST From: Miriamke Subject: yidish in di oygn fun di yunge tayere mendelyanes, in los angeles yidishe kultur klub veln mir hobn a simpozye af der teme "yidish in di oygn fun di yunge." ikh bet di mendelyanes velkhe zaynen baemes yunge (d.h. geboyren nokh di tsveyte velt malkhome)tsu shikn mir zayere gedanken. mirke (marion) herbst ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.136 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html