Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.018 June 6, 1995 1) Lekoved Shevues (Andrew Cassel) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 23:15:30 -0400 From: cassel@libertynet.org Subject: Lekoved Shevues Lekoved Shevues, a simple recollection of the holiday in Lithuania, circa 1890. Mayn zeyde hot es geshribn un aroysgebn in dem "buletin" fun Keidaner fareyn fun Nyu-York in Juni 1941, ershtn far er iz geshtorbn. Shevuos Fun nokh pesakh on hot der friling mit yeden tog mer un mer bahersht dos gantze lebn. Di teg zaynen gevorn varemer, likhtiker, fun nokhn kheder bizn shlofn geyn iz altz tzugekumen mer tzayt zikh tzu shpiln oyf droysn, oykh iz geven mer tzayt zikh optzugebn mit makhn tzatzkes (shpiltzayg). Abi m' hot nor gekrogn a meserl, hot men shoyn gemakht altzding; a milkhl, fun a nisl mit a heltzl, a bulve un fodim; a vint-milkhl fun a heltzl, tzvekl un papirel. Hamtzoe- bretlekh; fayl-un-brikl fun a halbn rayf shtrikl un krutshek fun a tzvayg. a pishtolet fun a beyndl fun a genzene fisl mit a heltzl, un vos nit. Nor di hoypt basheftigung in di eynige friling vokhn iz geven -- makhn fayflekh fun di vaykhe boygzame vitches fun gloksne-boymer. Epes flegt keidan farflaytzt vern in di tzayt mit dem sort vitches: m' flegt flekhtn plonkener, koshikes un kerb; ober khevre yungvarg flegn makhn fayflekh un fayfyolen. Opgeshnitn fun der glater vitches a gevise leyng, oysgeshitn eynige lekhlekh, ayngevaykt es in vaser un mit eynige klep oyf der vitchke hot zikh di kore aropgetzoygn fun shtekl vi a hemdl. Arayngeshtelt a hiltzernem tzingel nit vayt fun der oybershter lekhl, un di fayfel, ober fayfiyol iz fartik. Iz es ober sfire tzayt un m' ken nit fayfn, vayl ale kukn krom oyf dir; s' iz mayse sheygetz. Lagbomer hot afile opgelozn di shtreyngkayt, ober nor oyf ayn tog; hot men take altz arayngekhapt dem tog, gemakht feylenboygns, gegangen in de veldlekh oysn shtot un gemakht a seude. Ober fun rosh khodes sivan on iz shoin gevorn a gantz ander lebn. Biz same shevues iz men gegangen halbe teg in kheder: rosh khodesh un di shloyshes yami hagebule zaynen shoyn geven farberaytungs teg far shevues. M' iz gegangen oyskukn in skongale, vu m' ken onshnaydn ayer -- di shmekedike vaser groz -- oystzushpreytn oyf der podloge, un vu ontzuraysen may (laylaks) oder andere bliungen ontzushtekn in di lubes un balkn lekoved shevues. Di halbe teg, vos m' hot farbrakht in kheder zaynen oykh geven gevidmet an ander sort lernen, vi gevoyntlekh: Di geshikhte fun rus, di libe mit boezn, vos iz fargekumen in feld baynakht, tzvishn obgeshnitene garben. Altz bilder fun felt, dorf un natur, velkhe zaynen undz keidaner kinder, nit fremd. Dan dos zingendike lernen fun akdoymes mit der poetisher molung fun der herlikhkayt fun dem hersher fun der velt , vemen, avile "ven ale velder zoln zayn feder un ale vasern tint", es volt geven unmeglikh tzu beshraybn. Di andere helft fun di fraye teg, hobn mir farbrakht in farsidene shpiln un in ekspeditzies oyf kelerkes felder, hoyfishn veg, oder oyf yener zayt vaser. Dos, tzuzamen it der shefe fun grins in kolirfule bliungen fun karshn boymer in di sodn in un oysn shtot, velkhe hobn ongefilt di luft mit ongeneme rikhes dos ales hot undzere yunge hertzlekh ongefilt mit glik un freyd. A tog far erev shevues bin ikh avek mit mayne noenste khaverim in yanushove, vu mayn mame hot gehaltn a gortn mit a sod, hob mit khevre ongerisn a sakh bint may tzu dekorirn di hoyz oyf yontef. Der veg aheym, durkh langer gas, iz geven a miezamer: Fun ale zaytn zaynen undz kinder bafaln betendik: "gib mir a shtikl may". Undzer geveynlikher entfer iz ober: "nem a shtil blote un tzekay", vayl um alemen tzufriden tzushteln, voltn mir gemuzt kumen aheym on a blimel. Erev shevues zaynen mir gegangen onshneydn ayer in tife skongale. Hobn es tzuhakt oyf kleyne shtiklekh, un, az di mame hot gehat oyfgeramt di hoyz un oysgeshasn di podloge mit gelen zamd, hot zi oykh bashpreyt iber'n hoyz di ayer. S' iz nokh geven gut likhtik droysn. Di hoyz oyfgeramt yontefdik, di fenster mit rayne farhanglekh; fun apteyk sod, lebn vanen undzer hoyz iz geshtanen, hot zikh durkh di ofene fenster dertrogn a vintel mit rikhus fun bliende frukht boymer un hobn zikh oys gemish mit di rikhes fun may un ayer in hoyz. Der tate iz avek in merkhets lekoved yontef. Meyshe de hartz -- (dem tzunomenish hot er gekrogn vayl er iz alemol gegangen mit di hartz ofen, afile di hemd nit farshpilet) -- der shamesh fun eyin yakov kloyz, vu mayn tate hot gedavent, iz keumen mit a koshik klaybn likht far'n kloyz. Nokhdem vi er hot tzugenumen di por kheylev'ne likht, vos di mame hot im gegebn, hot er gefunen far noytik tzu loybn dem yontef shevues: "Es shmekt dokh in a idishe hoyz, vi in ganeydn", un derfilendik dem rikh fun di milkhike gebeks mit der shevuesdiker babke mit zafron un di kave, vos iz geven a vikhtiker teyl fun shevuesdiker moltzayt, hot er tzugezetzt: "Her ir, khaye sheyne, ikh bin azoy tzugevoynt tzu kave, az koym vos ikh derleb shevues.!" As m' iz gekumen fun shul nokh meyrev, un der tate hot gemakh dem yontefdiken kidesh oyf rozenkes-vayn, hot der yontev dokh oysgezen andersh vi pesakh un sukes. Ershtens di milkhike vetchere, vos m' est nor um shevues, mit'n milkhiken farfel-tzimes un solte-nosis, ongefilt mit kez un gepreygelt in puter un smetene, un dan epes a modne frayhayt. Der tate zetzt zikh zogn tikn- shevues, un ikh mit nokh kinder loyfn arum in droysn frank un fray: di mame traybt afile nit geyn shlofn. Oyf morgn iz der tate gekumen fun shul fri -- er hot gedavent vetikn -- ikh hob mer nish vi gebentsht tzitzes -- un mir hobn gegesn iberbaysn mit babke un kave, vos kumt gevoyntlikh for nor um shevues. Nokhdem iz men gegangen shpatsirn biz mitog. Un dan vayter geshmake milkhike maykholim mit blintzes un kave; nokh'n esen a shpatzir in yanushove bazukhn dem sod mit'n gortn. Un azoy farbrakht dem gantzen yontef in oylem haze. Epes hot es oysgezen vi m'vorlt genumen vakatzie, un zikh geozn voyl bakumen. Un deriber iz take farblibn shevues in mayn zikhorn als der gliklikhster yontev fun mayn yugent. *** Shevuos After Pesach, Spring ruled our lives more and more each day. The days became warmer, lighter. From after kheder until bedtime there was more time to play outdoors, and also more time to devote to making toys. As long as you had a pocket-knife you could make almost anything: a little mill from a nut, a stick of wood, a potato and thread; a windmill from a stick, clip and a bit of paper. Trick-boards; bows and arrows from a half-hoop, a rope and a pointed twig. A pistol from a goose's foot-bone and a stick of wood, and so forth. But the chief pursuit in those few spring weeks was making whistles from the tender, supple shoots of the willow trees . Keidan used to be inundated in that season with those sort of shoots: people would twist them into planks and baskets and carriers. But we youngsters would make whistles and flutes. A certain length was cut from the smooth shoot, some little holes were poked out, it was soaked in water, and with a few taps on the shoot the bark stripped off like a jacket. A little piece of wood was inserted near the top hole and the whistle, or flute, was ready. It was, however, the time of Sfire, and you could not whistle, or everyone would glare at you for being an impudent smart-aleck. Lag b'Omer relieved some of the season's severity, but only for a day. So everyone really seized that day, making bows and arrows and going to the woods outside town for a picnic. But from the first day of Sivan on, life began to be transformed. From then until Shevuos we went half-days to kheder : Rosh Khodesh and the "three days of setting bounds" were already preparation days for Shevuos. People went prospecting in the Skongale, where you could cut fragrant water-grass for spreading on floors, and pick bunches of lilacs and other blossoms to stick in the beams and rafters in honor of Shevuos. The half days that we spent in Kheder were dedicated to a different sort of study than usual: The story of Ruth, her love with Boaz in the field at night among the harvested sheaves. It was filled with images of field, country and nature, things not foreign to us Keidaner children. Then the chanted study of Akdomes, with its poetic portrayal of the glory of the Ruler of the World, whom even "if all the forests were your pens and all the waters ink" it would be impossible to describe. The other half of the free days we spent in different games and in expeditions to Kelerke's fields, the court road or across the river. All that, together with the abundant vegetation and colorful cherry blossoms in the orchards in and around the town, which filled the air with pleasant smells, filled our young hearts with happiness and joy. Two days before Shevuos I went off with my closest friends to Yanushova, where my mother kept a garden and orchard. I and the gang picked many bunches of lilacs to decorate the house for yontev. The road home, through Long Street, was a gauntlet; from all sides we children were besieged with demands: "Give me a bit of lilac." But our usual answer was "Go chew some mud," because if we happily supplied everyone who asked, we'd wind up at home without a single flower. The day before Shevuos we went to cut water-grass at the bottom of the Skongale. We chopped it into little bits, and when Mother had cleaned up the house and scubbed the floor with yellow sand, she spread the water-grass around the house. It was still very light outside. The house was cleaned and festive, the windows hung with clean drapes; from the apothecary orchard, near where our house stood, a breeze came through the open window carrying smells of blooming fruit trees, and mixed with the scent of lilac and water-grass in the house. Father headed for the bathouse in honor of the holiday. Meishe the Heart -- (he got the nickname because he always went around with the buttons on his shirt unfastenend) -- the shames of the Eyin Yakov syagogue, where my father prayed, came with a basket collecting candles for the synagogue. After he took the few tallow candles that Mother gave him, he found it necessary to praise the Shevuos holiday: "A Jewish house smells like the Garden of Eden," Then, detecting the smell of the dairy-pastries, the babka with saffron and the coffee that was a centerpiece of the Shevuos meal, he added: "I tell you Khaye Sheyna, I'm so fond of coffee that I don't know if I can hold out until Shevuos!" As we come home from shul after evening prayers, and Father makes the holiday kiddush over raisin-wine, the holiday feels quite unlike Pesach and Sukkos. First the dairy supper, that we eat only during Shevuos, with farfel- tzimmes and saltenosis (kreplakh) filled with cheese and fried in butter and sour cream, and then an unusual sense of freedom. Father sits down to say the Tikkun Shevuos prayer, and I run around outside with the children, free as a bird. Mother doesn't even chase us to bed. In the morning Father came from shul early -- he had prayed at dawn -- I hadn't done more than bless my tzitzes -- and we ate breakast with the babke, something that typically happened only on Shevuos. Then we went strolling until noon. And then more delicious dairy dishes with blintzes and coffee. After eating a stroll in Yanushova to visit the orchard and garden. That is how the holiday was spent in this world. It was like taking a vacation, and it was very welcome. And that is why, truly, Shevuos has remained in my memory as the happiest holiday of my youth. Andrew Cassel Elkins Park, PA ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.018 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) 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 ****Getting back issues**** 1. Anonymous ftp archives are available. ftp ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files A table of contents is also available, along with weekly updates. 2. Mendele archives can also be reached as follows: via WWW: http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mewais.html via gopher: gopher://sunsite.unc.edu/11/../.pub/academic/languages/yiddish/mendele via ftp: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/languages/yiddish/mendele