Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 2 no. 17 June 23, 1992 1) Mise meshune (Meylekh Viswanath) 2) Meyashev (Meylekh Viswanath) 3) Shlimazel (Zev Hochberg) 4) Introduction (J.J. Steinberg) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1992 09:23 EDT From: VISWANATH%DRACO.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 2.15 [Itzhak "Jeff" Finger writes: The expression "mise-meshune" is used in the Morning Blessings, before the Order of the Sacrifices. There is a section called Tefilas Rabi which says, "It should be your will .... to rescue us this day and all days from Aze-Ponim and Azus-Ponim, ..., from libels, mi'MISA MESHUNA, from bad diseases, ... " ______________________________________________________ This isn't particularly related to Yiddish, but... Which sider (siddur) do you have? In the corresponding tfile in my ArtScroll, I couldn't find mise-meshune. Meylekh 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1992 09:27 EDT From: VISWANATH%DRACO.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 2.15 [N. Miller writes:] 2. Meyashev is often used for ironic or comic effect: Iz zikh meyashev dos redl un falt arop fun vogn. Iz er meyashev un heybt on shrayen 'Gevald! A fayer!' Which is something like the American 'he upped (or went) and died'. Do other European languages go in for this sort of thing? ---------------------------------------------------- I remember the first line of a well-known Czech novel, Dobry Vojak Schwejk, (from the days long ago, when I tried my hand at Czech): Tak nam zabili Ferdinanda, which as I remember it is translated--So did Ferdinand go and die on us. This sounds similar to your use of 'meyashev' above. Meylekh 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 22 Jun 1992 22:56:14 -0400 (EDT) From: Zev Hochberg Subject: shlemazzel I was told by a friend that modern Hebrew has adapted shlemazzel into the Hebrew shelo-mazal = without "luck". This is similar to the suggested etymology for shlemazzel of shlim mazel. I don't know if shelo-mazal was coined based on the possible etymology, or just based on the similarity of the Yiddish to the Hebrew sounds. I also don't know if shelomazal is a "folk word", or a more official coinage (eg, Ben Yehuda.) Zev Hochberg 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Jun 92 14:36:44 EDT From: "J. J. Steinberg" Subject: Introduction My apologies for not responding to this request. Between papers, grants, presentations, chickenpoxs, and a new child - I'm a little behind in my responses. I am an associate professor at Einstein in the Bronx (New York). We have a "yiddish kreise" that has about ten participants every six weeks. The circle discusses literature, events, words, and "yiddish language self-help" (sich alein). It is composed of faculty with an average age of 68. The circle was the innovation of Julius Marmur (who will try to join your list) who came a hair-breadths away from a Nobel prize for his work on DNA in the early 1960's. (The Forvarts carried his discoveries under the title of "der yerusha material"). He is a gem. We are joined by many other "stars" (I am der yingvar, and clearly littlest in stature of the group at the age of 41). Any other information - I would be delighted to supply. My thanks for allowing my participation - Julius will follow. JJ ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 2.17 If your message is intended for MENDELE, please write to: mendele@vax1.trincoll.edu If you want to discuss personal business or have a shmues with the shames, please write to: nmiller@vax1.trincoll.edu Please sign your articles.