Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.283 January 18, 1995 1) Tifle/tfile (Zellig Bach) 2) Yiddish in Alaska (Mikhl Herzog) 3) Yiddish in Alaska (not Alabama) (Steve Jacobson) 4) Tseylem kop (Zellig Bach) 5) Yiddish literature in translation (Soreh Benor) 6) Kenen ~ konen / bakenen ~ bakonen ~ bakanen (Dovid Braun) 7) Mystery cabbage (Neil Jacobs) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 00:45:28 -0500 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: Tifle/tfile Zev Kesselman wrote with reference (4.260) to my "etymological" research about the word "tifle" (Christian house of prayer) and my "finding" that the name was a deliberate distortion, a transposition on purpose of two letters in "tfile" (Jewish prayer). He adds: "It seems to me that the transposition is more than random. "Tfile" is Hebrew for prayer, "tiflus" is Hebrew for nonsense, frivolity, as in the Mishnaic dictum: < Kol hamelamed et bito torah, k'ilu lomdah tiflus > whoever teaches his daughter Torah, it is as if he taught her frivolousness /Mishnah Sotah, Chapter 3/." May I add that the word "tifle" itself is found once in Jeremiah, twice in Job, in Talmud and later writings in the meaning of unseemliness, tastelessness, and vanity. Zellig Bach 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jan 95 17:31 EST From: zogur@cuvmb.columbia.edu Subject: Yiddish in Alaska I'm trying to dredge up a memory. Perhaps Steven Jacobson can pursue it. Didn't Alaska have a governor whose name was Boochiever? Wasn't Boochiever the brother? cousin? uncle? son? of the Yiddish writer Bovshever? Mikhl Herzog 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 21:28:40 -0900 From: ffsaj@aurora.alaska.edu Subject: Yiddish in Alaska (not Alabama) If anyone wishes to obtain a copy of my dictionary of Hebraic words and phrases in Yiddish, they should note that the postal abbreviation for Alaska is AK, rather than AL (my error). The city name "Fairbanks" and the zip code 99708 would probably bring the letter here eventually, but it would be best if it did not have to take a detour via Alabama. Steve Jacobson [Vayst oys az Steve iz a djentelman, ober der reyner emes iz as der shames un bloyz der shames iz in dem shuldik. nm] 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 17:44:59 -0500 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: Tseylem kop With reference to Leon Lipson's story (4.275,2), Polish Jews, and probably especially khassidim, called Jews from Lithuania "tseylem kep" (heads with a cross, or a cross in their heads). Lithuanian Jews, di litvakes, were misnagdim (a Hebrew-derived word meaning "opponents" of the khassidim). They were led by the vilner go'en and his disciples who conducted a fiery opposition to the khassidic movement. The khassidic Jews, whose religious life was full with joy, warmth, and _hislayves_ (rapturous ardor and ecstasy), considered the litvakes cool-headed, cold, and cerebral, in sum, without feelings, without emotions, and therefore nicknamed them "tseylem kep." Well, litvakes turned it around, and asked: "Why is a litvisher yid called a "tseylem kop"? Their own answer: "When a litvak wants something, or insists on something, _leygt er zikh in der breyt, like this -- , un in der leyng, like this |, and together the two lines form a cross (+)... (If you tell this story, you make a horizontal hand gesture from right to left when you say "leygt er zikh in der breyt" (breyt meaning witdth), and a short vertical hand gesture when you say "leygt er zikh in der leyng," leyng meaning length.) The phrase "leygt er zikh in der breyt un in der leyng" means that he makes every effort to accomplish what he set out to do. Thus, a derogatory nickname that attacked the very core of one's faith (in the recited story above the cross "followed" the misnaged even into his grave), turns in this "explanation" into a compliment, namely that a litvak is a man of action and drive. P.S. In case you did not guess it, I am a litvak. Zellig Bach 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 11:33:16 -0500 (EST) From: seb28@columbia.edu Subject: Yiddish literature in translation In response to Daniella HarPaz's request: One of my first exposures to Yiddish culture was the very interesting Yiddish literature class I took last year, taught in English by Dovid Goldberg. The class was made up of several students in the Yiddish graduate program here at Columbia, a few other graduate students, and me, then a freshman. The Yiddish students read the assigned works in Yiddish, and the other graduate students and I read them in translation. I really enjoyed reading and discussing all the stories, novels, and poems, but, because of my lack of knowledge, I had a little trouble putting them into historical context. It wasn't until my internship at the National Yiddish Book Center that I really started to understand where everything fits. I suggest that you give the students some information on the Yiddish language and a great deal of cultural and historical background. Also, I suggest that you show "Yidl Mitn Fidl." (That film certainly raised *my* interest in Yiddish culture.) Soreh Benor 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 17:51:40 EST From: dovid@mit.edu Subject: kenen ~ konen / bakenen ~ bakonen ~ bakanen To add to Mikhl Herzog's posting, then there's variation three ways with the verb _bak[]nen (zikh_ 'to make someone acquainted with. to make the acq. of': bakenen ~ bakonen ~ bakanen. Although there is no stem _kan_ in Yiddish; i.e., it only appears when prefixed with ba-. David Braun 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 09:58:30 -0500 (EST) From: njacobs@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Subject: Mystery cabbage On Mikhl Herzog's note about 'stuffed cabbage' as [ta:belex] in Southwestern Poland. The mystery is 'little doves' -- a calque of the Slavic term(s) (related to Yiddish -holuptses- , etc., e.g., Polish goLAb 'dove' [that's l-slash, and hook A] ), meaning '(little) dove/pigeon'. Neil Jacobs ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.283 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Send change-of-status messages to: listserv@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele nomail b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail c. To subscribe: sub mendele first_name last_name d. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu