Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.301 January 30, 1995 1) Locating a Yiddish story (Alan Shuchat) 2) Davening (Al Madansky) 3) Sholem-Aleykhem's passion for Zhargon (Louis Fridhandler) 4) Galitsianer (Noyekh Miller) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 13:29:54 -0500 (EST) From: ashuchat@wellesley.edu Subject: Locating a Yiddish story I recall reading a story in Yiddish a number of years ago about a man who carried out a sequence of business deals that amounted to arbitrage. I think he sold some animal or commodity that he didn't own and then bought and sold a bunch of items in order to come up with what he needed to close the original deal. In the end, he made a profit. Perhaps the man told this story to some others he met on a train, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know the story and where I can find it? I tried looking at Sholem Aleichem's railroad stories but didn't see it there. A sheynem dank, Alan Shuchat Wellesley, Mass. 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 12:32:00 -0600 From: fac_albert@gsbvxc.uchicago.edu Subject: Davening Stimulated by Philologos's Forward article on the origin of the word "davenen," my nonagenarian uncle Dr. Joseph Liebenson sent me a (snail mail) note indicating that he thought that the word might be a corruption of the word "d'avuhen," literally, from the fathers (or patriarchs), in that in Talmud Brachot it is indicated that the "avot" established the prayers: Abraham establishing shacharit, Isaac establishing mincha, and Jacob establishing Maariv. He has since told me that he recently looked up the term "tefilot" (prayers) in Yehuda David Eisenstein's "Otzar Dinim uMinhagim", and, on p. 443, Eisenstein says (and I translate) "Today we term the prayers "davenen", because their source is from the patriarchs (d'avuhen)". I apologize if this origin has already appeared in mendele; as is done by the rest of you "chevre," I skim items in which I'm not particularly interested (but would vote to keep them on, rather than splitting the list, "rev shames"). al madansky 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 Jan 95 14:49:26 EST From: 74064.1661@compuserve.com Subject: Sholem-Aleykhem's passion for Zhargon I'm resubmitting a message on this topic because it seems the original may have been eaten by Unix. [Noyekh: I, too, know nothing about Unix, but I hear it is a sly trickster. My computer has also devoured but not digested an e-mail message or two. The computer did not need Maalox, but I did.] Sholem-Aleykhem wrote many letters to Yakov Dinezon (starting even before embarking on his massive anthology projects, 1888 and 1889). In some he expressed his passionate devotion to Zhargon. His exuberance bordered on rash intemperance which perhaps distracted him from attending to financial danger signals. It was probably a factor leading to his bankruptcy in the fall of 1890. It took time then for his passion to be rekindled. (Lucky for us and the world of Yiddish that by 1894 he was inspired to begin creating Tevye.) On Dec. 28, 1887 he writes in Yiddish to Dinezon (whom he had not yet met personally): "I love Zhargon like... But for what?" And then complains to Dinezon about the poor treatment Zhargon was then accorded in Dos Yidishe Folksblat. He continues the long letter in Russian in which he cries out: "I'm crazy for Zhargon, but heed the crazy one who in this case is sincere, candid and devoted to Zhargon, almost ready for self-sacrifice." On Jan. 5, 1888 Sholem-Aleykhem complains again about the editor of Dos Yidishe Folksblat, exclaiming, "Zhargon is dearer to me than my honor [russifying it 'gonor']." He ends the letter, "How painful it is to see how they slop around the market-place with Zhargon." Letters cited in an article by Nachman Meisel in _YIVO Bleter_ volume 1, pages 390 and 394, 1931. Louis Fridhandler 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 Jan 95 16:40 EST From: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu Subject: Galitsianer In November 1992 there appeared a long article by Leonard Prager (Vol 2.88) which dealt with three figures: Mordecai Gebirtig, Ignacy Schiper and Dov Sadan. Here is part of the covering note: Date: Thu, 29 Oct 92 12:47:36 IST From: Leonard Prager Subject: Galitsianer Dear Noyekh, I note that there has been a discussion about _galitsianer_ in my absence. You asked me to report on my doings and so perhaps I'll start by sending you a copy of the talk I gave in Galicia. This is not for publication yet, but I see no harm in excerpting much of the first half that has to do with who Galician Jews are and how they and others see them and see Galicia. I trust your judgement here. Alas, the reliance in the shames' judgement was misplaced. The job was botched. But not to worry. Mendele's Harold Orbach, in addition to carrying on a _very_ active professional and intellectual life, seems to find time to go through back issues and edit them properly. (If he weren't a tsadik gomer one could hate him.) The Orbach version is a) much better and b) complete. The article itself is very fine. Taken together with the fact that the majority of Mendele's subscribers never saw it the first time around, republication is in order. Because of its length it will be issued in three install- ments. It will also be placed in the archives as a single file. And to Leonard Prager and Harold Orbach: a hartsikn yasher koyekh! Noyekh Miller ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.301 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