Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.291 January 22, 1995 1) Vicissitudes of mame-loshn (Louis Fridhandler) 2) On the secular use of "Reb" (Zellig Bach) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Jan 95 13:02:22 EST From: 74064.1661@compuserve.com Subject: Vicissitudes of mame-loshn Dubnov recounts an episode in "Fun Zhargon tsu Yidish" which in retrospect seemed strange to him. It does appear as a strange interlude in the strange history of the Yiddish language. In 1880 the 20-year-old brilliant young Dubnov was in the elderly, politically savvy Alexander Zederbaum's office discussing the imminent appearance of a Yiddish paper to be edited by Zederbaum. They both were comfortably fluent in sophisticated, expressive Yiddish. However, Yiddish was considered below the dignity of intellectuals. It was "shocking" to even contemplate. Instead, they discussed the forthcoming Yiddish publication in awkward, halting, broken Russian. They obviously felt pressured by absentee trend-setters. Doesn't that tell us something about the destructive effects of bending to irrational social pressures from pretentious, would-be, pseudo-intellectual snobs? Ikh hob aleyn gelitn fun azamin shedlekher hashpoe zeyer a sakh yorn vi fun a farshlepter krenk. S'iz mir geven prikre oysredn a yidish vort hoykh afn kol. Un nokh. Mayn kindhayt loshn hob ikh gelernt fun Kishinever tate-mame hob ikh gezogt tote, nisht tate, un mome, nisht mame. Hern az andere yinglekh redn an ander min yidish hot mir oysgevizn az zeyere verter zenen geven mer edl. Hob ikh geshvign. Ahin un aher hob ikh farloyrn mayn mame-loshn. Shpeter hob ikh gevolt zen un visn farvos mayne eltern un mayn bobe hobn geshept azoy fil fargenign fun Sholem- Aleykhem's mayses. Ikh hob zikh oysgelernt vider amol leyenen Yidish. Di mi, di tirkhe hobn mir tsurikgetsolt toyzenter mol mit nakhes un fargenign. A dank mayne eltern un mayn bobe. Yetst, az mentshn (vos veysn nisht keyn besers) krimen mit der noz af Yidish un af Yidisher literatur her ikh zey vi dem koter. Un di vos viln lernen, hern etlekhe seykhldike onvayzungen (nisht keyn sakh) vegn hilkhes mame-loshn. Louis Fridhandler, Irvine, CA (Orange County, vey iz mir!) 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 17:28:09 -0500 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: On the secular use of "Reb" Received a very interesting E-mail message from Michael Shimshoni. Among other things he made reference to my posting "The Honorific Reb " (4.269,6) and wrote (quoted with permission ): "I am not so sure if, indeed, this title [Reb] was used so sparingly in the old country... I had thought, and am ready to be corrected, that the common address of someone whose name was not known, or for any other reason, was simply "Reb yid"... You are completely correct, of course, that Reb is now often used in a secular way." And in Mendele (4.271,3) the very same point was raised, with many lively examples, by "Reb Moshe Waldoks." This is the way he signed his posting. Is it a pseudonym? Hardly. Is it an attempt to be humorous? (Who knows? -- ver veys?) May I remark that in doing so Mr. Waldoks overlooked the fact that, traditionally, this title is used with the first (given) name only. This is, of course, a side issue, and is -./). (I'm introducing here a new E-mail symbol -./), read: beside the point). The examples that Khaver Waldoks brought of the Reb usage are quite accurate, and reflect the day to day contacts in the old country. My answer: You are both right, of course. However, when borrowing this title for use in a secular context, when transferring it into a modern, non-religious milieu, we must pay serious attention to the drastic differences between the two worlds . It is difficult to imagine nowadays the role of religion in the life of a Jewish man four of five generations ago. Practically from his babyhood a boy's life was set and pre-planned: his religious upbringing and education went on in a straight uninterrupted linear progression to adulthood. The slogan "Toyre iz di beste skhoyre" -- Torah is the best merchandise (which in a literal translation does not make much sense but as a rhyme it was memorable and its meaning understood by all). Every turn in the life of an adult Jew presented an occasion to _make a brokhe_ (to say a benediction): at the opening of a meal, one made a brokhe (in Yiddish a slice of bread is called "meytse" or "ha'moytse," meaning "who draws forth" from the benediction "He... who draws forth bread from the earth;" after a meal there was the formal invitation "raboysay lomir bentshn" -- gentlemen, let's say grace (note the segregation of the women who prepared and served the meal); a benediction after answering the call of nature; before retiring for the night; special benedictions upon hearing thunder, seeing lightning or a rainbow; upon seeing the majesty of the ocean (after a month's interval); upon seeing a great Jewish learned man, a great non-Jewish philosopher, a friend after a year's elapse, a royal personage, and so on, and on, and on. Each benediction invoked the Holy Name, and thus a constant process of forging a close and intimate bond to Him was in effect. In a world of such undisputed devotion, it was customarily good form to address someone whose background or name one did not know as "Reb yid." It was better to assume that he was a learned man, learned what mattered in Jewishness, rather than unknowingly insult him. It was a safe *educated* guess. In our secular world, however, things have changed so drastically that we ought to be very selective before bestowing this honorific appellation. I believe that the following conditions should obtain before addressing someone "Reb:" First, *contrary* to the old usage, when it was applied to one whose name and background was _not_ known, today we would address with the honorific Reb only someone we knew very well, with whom we were on close terms of friendship for some time, whose learning is a recognized factor by all (not just subjectively), and where there existed a deep bond between the two on the basis of an idea or cause. It follows from this stipulation that one can not bestow upon oneself such title; Second, Reb only goes with the first name, and then only with a traditional Hebrew name (Reb Sol [Steinmets] would simply not do, but "Reb Zalmen" is precious, is yidishlekh.) If it is a traditional Yiddish name, it would be best to pair (hyphenate) it with its Hebrew equivalent in order to lend it a Yiddish flavor and sound, for example: Reb Zanvel-Shmuel, Reb Hirsh-Tsevi. Third, members of the Mendele khavruse are all learners, and in some sense, since we all learn from each other, we are all teachers. May I therefore say that, figuratively, we are all rabonim (rabbis), and should therefore be careful not to dignify each other with the title Reb, lest there be a sudden *mabl* (flood) of this honorific, and, I doubt, if our own modern Noyekh will be able to build an ark... May I appeal to each Mendelyaner and Mendelyanerke, to _di gantse khavruse_ (our entire learning Society) that khaver be a sufficient form of salutation and recognition among us. Personally, I find "khaver" homage enough. To quote myself from the initial message on this topic: "I think that we should, individually and collectively, be very selective before we confer in our secular world the honorific "Reb" lest by overuse... its locution will wear down, its shine tarnished, and its value reduced." Zellig Bach Lakehurst, NJ ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.291 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. 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