Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.176 November 26, 1995 1) Tkhinos-taytsh (Bernie Greenberg) 2) Got fun Avrom (David Herskovic) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Nov 1995 22:12:47 -0500 From: bsg@basistech.com Subject: Tkhinos-taytsh I just found an heirloom, in books from my mother (who has less use for it than I), a little blue hardbound Hebrew Publishing Company volume (reprinted from 1916) entitled "Rav Pninim" (I can't find the name of an editor or anthologizer), containing a large number of prayers arranged by liturgical cycle, some in Hebrew, but the majority in a _very_ _Daitshmerisher-Yiddish written with vowel-points througout, e.g., this _Miserere_ for _Yom-Kippur_: Fargieb mir mayn foter, wos du bist a bal harakhamim, oyf di ale chatoim wavonos ufshoim, was ikh hob gezindigt far dir un hob dir dertzehrent... The "fargieb" actually has an 'ayin between the jod and the beth, often old German spellings like "thun" (teth-he-waw-nun) appear, etc., as well as words like "foter" (Vater) for which I would have expected "tate", etc., left and right. Harkavy, under "tkhinos" (which all these prayers are called) lists this as "prayers, esp. for women", and mentions something called "tkhinos-taytsh", the title page of my volume says, "in ivri taytsh". What is going on here? Is anyone familiar with this volume, or this apparent tradition of highly-Germanized Yiddish, or Judaeized German, or whatever it is, as a vehicle for prayerbooks for women? Bernie Greenberg 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 25 Nov 95 20:11:52 EST From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: G-t fin avrohom 'G-t fun Avrohom' is a popular tkhine (supplication) to be said on shpays tsi nakhts (motse shabes). It is traditionally attributed to Reb Layvi Yitskhok of Berdichev. The Rebbe of Berdichev (1740-1810), more fondly known as the Barditchever, was one of the early Rabbis of the Chasidic movement. He is primarily renown as a maylits yoysher (intercessor, mitigator) on behalf of his people. He did this in a very simple and folksy style. He would according to legend have din toyres (Court Cases) with G-d pleading that the plight of His people is unjustified and unwarranted. There are various yidish songs and stories around his 'deals' with the Almighty. I. L. Peretz also uses him in his stories. I say according to legend because his main work, the sayfer 'Kedishas Layvi', a Chasidic commentary on Torah does not have any more melitsas yoysher than the works of his contemporaries or any other Chasidic seforim. Coming back to the tekhine of 'G-t fun Avrohom', it is not written in his seforim but was reputedly found between his papers after his death. Its popularity is probably due a lot to his popular character though it is also short and simple. Though it was written to be said for all it is mostly only recited by women. There are some who believe it to be a substitute for the benediction that must be said in order to carry out any of the actions prohibited during the shabes. I would contend that the many variations on the heading 'G-t fin avrohom' are compositions by others riding on the popularity of the liturgy and its title. The version cited by Chana Mlotek (Vol. 5.174) seems to be a pastiche of a few words from this one in rhyme, with some lines belonging to the song 'shnirele perele'. I very much doubt the barditchever wrote poems and gramen. There are however various versions of the one here with slight differences but all in a similar gist. Intrestingly, the korben minkhe sider which should be an authority on things like this has a shortened version in a single paragraph. The words said to be found in his writings are the title 'A great sgile for success'. It goes on 'This request is to be said three times by all men, women and children every week at the termination of the holy Shabes in ikh bin farzikhert az zay velen im yirtse hashem begliken' (and I am sure that they will, subject to G-d's will, be successful). This last passage is also recited by some. G-t fin avrohom in fin yitskhok in fin yakoyv! behit dan lib folk yiroayl fin alem bayzen in danem loyb az der liber shabes koydesh gayt. az di vokh in der khoydesh in der yor zolen ints tsi kimen tsi emine shlayme, tsi eminas khakhomim, tsi ahaves khavayrim, tsi devaykes haboyre borikh hi. mamin tsi zan bishloysh esray ikrim shelokh, ivigeile kroyve bimhayro beyomayni, ivitkhiyas hamaysim, ivinvias moyshe rabayni olov hasoloym. riboynoy shel oylom! di bist dokh hanoysayn layoayf koyakh, gib dane libe yidishe kinderlekh oykh koyekh dikh tsi loyben in nor dikh tsi dinen in kayn andren kholile nisht. in az di vokh in der khoydesh in der yor zol ints kimen tsi gezint in tsi mazel, in tsi brokhe v'hatslokhe, in tsi kheysed, in tsi bone, khaye arikhe imzoyne revikhe v'siyate dishmaye, loni ilekhol yisroayl. omayn. G-d of Abraham, Issac and Jacob! Guard Your people Israel from all fury in Your praise at the going of the cherished holy shabes. That this week and this month and this year should bring us to complete faith; to belief in the sages; to the loving of friends; to attachment to the Creator Blessed is He. To have faith in your thirteen tenets; and in the forthcoming redemption, speedy in our days; and in the resurrection of the dead; and in the prophecy of Moses our Rabbi, may peace be on him. Governor of the Universe! You are He who gives strength to the weak, also give Your cherished yidishe kinderlekh strength to praise You and to worship only You and not, forbid, anybody else. And that this week and this month and this year should bring us to health and to mazel, to blessings and success, and to kindness, and to children, long life and an abundance of sustenance, and heavenly assistance to us and to all of Israel. Amen. a gite vokh David Herskovic PS Please excuse my amateurish translation. ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.176 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. 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