Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.036 July 31, 1998 1) Mlotek is 80 (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan) 2) reb noyekh bentsht goymel (Haveyl Havolim) 3) gramen far noyekh (Si Prussin) 4) Nakhum/Nokhum/Nukhem (Beni Warshawsky) 5) Moshe Rabbenu (Yankel Kurtzman) 6) koshere fodem (Deena Mersky) 7) pulkes (Gabriella Safran) 8) nivl pe (David Herskovic) 9) A Yom Kippur Scandal? (Louis Fridhandler) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 11:38:43 -0400 (EDT) From: SHirshan@aol.com Subject: Mlotek is 80 Yosl Mlotek, octogenarian Mazl un gezunt to Yosl Mlotek on his 80th birthday! Yosl's countless accomplishments for Yiddish education, language, culture, and music are indeed a precious legacy for the Jewish people. The Yiddish Forward of July 17th celebrates him as co-editor of theYiddish Forward; editor of _Cultur un Lebn_; creator, with his wife, Chane, of many worthwhile books about the Yiddish folksong; winner of the Manger prize for Literature. My personal bouquet to Yosl is for his ability to span generations. As National Director of the Arbeter Ring Education Department, his wisdom and precious guidance helped us create and build the largest and most active Yiddish schools to flourish in New York, to imbue thousands of our yugnt with our secular culture. His manner was gentle; his deep idealism was contagious, and to work with him was to love him. May he continue to have music wherever he goes. Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 12:11:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Haveyl Havolim Subject: reb noyekh bentsht goymel der alter reb noyekh ven er hot gedarft zogn shkoyekh az di holtsene teyve iz nit gevorn zayn keyver un az der leyb hot a bis bloyz getun oyf zayn fis hot er balt nokhn khurbn gebrengt got a kurbn un funm fleshele mashke gekhapt hot a shashke ober undzere noyekh az er zogt yasher koyekh tut im zeyr bank tsu gibn a dank farn malekh refol az er's aroys fun shpitol derfar iz refol fun kentake an emeser knaker un inem nomn fun zeydn batsolt yude leybn azoy traybt er katoves funm malekh hamoves Haveyl Havolim 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 20:04:31 -0400 (EDT) From: pru@EE.UCLA.EDU Subject: gramen far noyekh ot zainen a tsol verter vos gramen zikh mit skhoyre un toyre. 1. ben soykher umoyre, der skhlecter zun 2. yokhid bedoyre, an oysgetseykhnter 3. bal koyre, der forleyner in shul 4. metsoyre, a tsoraas kranker(leper) 5. mesoyre, traditsie ikh hof es vet aykh zain nutslekh. Si Prussin 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 01:33:33 -0400 (EDT) From: "B&D Warshawsky" Subject: Nakhum/Nokhum/Nukhem? The Hebrew name Nakhum has a patakh under the 'nun'. The patakh transforms into a kometz and is pronounced in Litvisch Yiddish as Nokhem and in Poylish Yiddish as Nukhem. Can anyone explain the vowel transformation? Beni Warshawsky 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 23:24:02 -0400 (EDT) From: "Gilda and Bob Kurtzman" Subject: Moshe Rabbenu When I was nine or ten, my father taught me to read Yiddish. We used a primer called Dos Idishe Kind There were pencil illustrations of children in clothes of the 1920's .In the back of the primer were poems.. I can recall the opening verses of one of the poems. If anyone out there in Mendele land knows the rest of the poem I would appreciate hearing from him/her Moshe Rabbenu auf yener velt Varft mir arop a zekele gelt Vawss vest du tuen mit a zekele gelt And that is all I remember except the boy speaking to Moshe Rabbenu asks for money for all kinds of things When he finally says the money will go to build a beis midrash , I believe, the request is granted. Yankel Kurtzman 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 03:04:30 -0400 (EDT) From: dmersky@mail.utexas.edu (Deena H. Mersky) Subject: koshere fodem I can't explain the derivation of this expression, but it has been a new and very useful one to me as I've sat through too many faculty and board meetings in recent years. I heard it for the first time just a few years ago from my mother, now almost 94 years of age, who lived in Busnevetsia, Ukraine the first 17 years of her life. I asked her, one day, after she retrieved her mail, what was in the pile. Her response: " Die zelbe drek in a koshere fodem" How very useful, and better said in Yiddish ! Deena Mersky P.S. Following my earlier response on this phrase, I had further opportunity to consult with my mother, the sage of Busnevetsia. She did not remember the anecdote I had relayed to Mendele, but she did explain that in her memory the phrase referred to a wrap, to cover something less than acceptable, usually some sort of hypocrisy or cunning at worst, or perhaps inadequacy, to be somewhat knder. "Er is a gonnif (nar, momzer) mit a koshere fodem" -D.M. 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 09:00:50 -0400 (EDT) From: "Gabriella S. Safran" Subject: pulkes Friends and relatives frequently admire my baby daughter's "pulkes" -- her round little thighs. I know that this word can be used for chicken thighs as well as baby ones. My question: does anyone know its derivation? It sounds Slavic, but doesn't seem to be Russian or Polish. Gabriella Safran 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 10:29:09 -0400 (EDT) From: David Herskovic Subject: nivl pe In an effort to avoid rude words -mise verter- certain frime yidish speakers use their ingenuity to say what has to be said but without actually saying it, thus avoiding nivl pe. Here is my short list; I'm sure others will have their own. p*ts akhtsik nayntsiger k*ker knaker on a nun t*khes vi di yidn hobn gerut as in kish mikh vi di yidn hobn gerut (for this last one I'm indebted to my neighbour at layning who whispered it into my ear while they layned 'vayakhni betukhas') But impossible to beat is the one that appeared in the orthodox journal 'males'. Despite 'males' receiving a favourable review in the forverts it could not bring itself to mention the forverts by name even when discussing the very review, kal vokhoymer to mention the 'intishter' by name rakhmone litslon would be totally out of the question. So when in their parenting column they were discussing the how's and when's of corporal punishment the writer suggested that 'lekatkhile zol men shlogn nor dort vu es iz gemakht grvorn tsu shlogn'. atsind farshtayt ir farvos men hot es bashafn?! zayt mir gezint, David Herskovic 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 12:40:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Lfridhan@aol.com Subject: A Yom Kippur Scandal? As to Shari Haber's query (8.033, 2) about where to find the original Yiddish of "A Yom Kippur Scandal." In Yiddish it is called "Oysgetreslt" by Sholem-Aleykhem. It certainly is in the Folksfond Oysgabe, Ale Verk fun Sholem-Aleykhem, Volume VI, Kleyne Mentshelekh mit Kleyne Hasoges, page 211. This edition was published between 1917-23. In 1937, Morgn-Frayhayt published exactly the same series but altered the volume numbers for reasons that escape me entirely. There, the volume entitled "Kleyne Mentshelekh mit Kleyne Hasoges" is Volume 3. Go figure. Other editions of the same material may have yet different numbers. Seek out the volume title. Incidentally, another English translation besides "A Yom Kippur Scandal" exists called "The Search." In neither English title can one find the slightest hint of the apt Yiddish title. Louis Fridhandler ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.036 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