Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 2 no. 03 May 21, 1992 1) Reb Shlemiel revisited (Ytitzhak Kertesz) 2) A query and an announcement (Noyekh Miller) 3) Tshuves (Nahum Goldmann) 4) Syntactic problems (Robert Rothstein) 5) Khalishen (Zev Hochberg) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 May 92 12:05:42 PDT From: Evelyn Ehrlich Subject: Reb Shlemiel revisited When I introduced myself to Mendele, I mentioned my current interest, the origins of Shlemiel and Shlimmazal, with the hope that I would get some reactions from other Mendelists. Especially, because the earliest use of these words that I could find, is from 1784. Now David Sherman was kind enough to ask about it,so I can give it a second try. (1.238 item 1) (1) Shlemiel from Shlumiel ben Tsurishadday This is the most well known explanation, based on Heine's poem "Jehuda Halevi". I. Tabak points out (Judaic lore in Heine p. 153) that Heine misinterprets his sources. It is indeed an ingenious "Khap", but cannot be the origin of the word. So we are left with the following possibilities: a. there was another person named Shlumiel, who is responsible for this word. b. the word is of German origin, c. or the word is a combination of Hebrew words (shelomi El, etc.) (2) Shlimazal from schlecht + mazal First of all, your computer mistyped the word, probably because it is not PC compatible. The word is not schlecht, but the in meaning identical schlimm. This is indeed the most frequently given explanation (see Weinreich, e.g. or Dov Noy in the Enc. Jud. v. "Folklore") The question is, since when does mazal mean luck? This leads us to a very difficult conceptual problem, the history of the philosophical category "Chance". Other explanations exist for schlimmasal from the German. They are also mentioned in Weinreich's History of the Yiddish, in a very awkward way (see index). (3) Of course, words are only words. The real question is, did these characters really exist? If so, was it a separate category in society, such as batlanim, letsim, meshugoim, etc.? And if so, what was specifically Jewish about them? For even more info you have to wait until I get all my thoughts organized. ... Yitzhak Kertesz (bm.lbh@rlg.bitnet) 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 May 92 From: nmiller@trincc Subject: A query and an announcement Sherri Calvo asks whether there is a Yiddish primer that's less tough going than Weinreich's. Replies can be sent to: CALVO@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV or to Mendele. ********************* The Workmen's Circle has just announced its schedule of summer activities: ten programs that will interest Mendele's readers (several speakers are themselves Mendelnikes). Everything takes place at Circle Lodge (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) which is an easy drive from New York City. Accomodations are available at reasonable rates for A.R. members and non-members. Here are some of the programs. June 26-28 (weekend) Remembering I.B. Singer DEVORA MENASHE TELUSHKIN RABBI JOSEPH TELUSHKIN DAVID ROSKIES, I.B. Singer's Demons July 5-10 (5-day midweek) The Many Voices of Yiddish ELI KATZ, Early Developmental Yiddish Literature CHANE AND YOSL MLOTEK, The Phases of Yiddish Song in America August 16-21 (5-day midweek) Hands-on-Performing Arts PESAKH FISZMAN, Yiddish Language (for those who want to practice and perform) August 21-23 Intensive Language Weekend Conversational Yiddish (6 hours) August 23-28 (5-day midweek) Jewish Humor, Folklore and Cultural Arts ZACHARY BAKER, Shtetl Genealogy EMANUEL GOLDSMITH, Vunder iber Vunder: a believe- it-or-not Approach to Yiddish Culture ROBERT A. ROTHSTEIN, Folklore: the Yiddish Folksong, Yiddish Proverbs, Multi-Culturalism East European Style ********************* An afterthought: maybe we ought to plan a Mendele pitnik at one of these summertime extravaganzas? Noyekh 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 20 May 1992 11:24:00 -0400 From: Nahum Goldmann Subject: Mendele vol. 2.01 To: M.-N. Eytan "Should we, as Jews, admire... " I believe it is a wrong question. One can only ask in this context: "Should I, as a human beings..." Let's not pretend that it is only our(?) problem. And could there be a COLLECTIVE(?) response? Who is going to enforce it? Everyone has to answer this question individually. Of course, I reserve the right not to shake a particular hand, but that is my individual solution. To S. Feldman My impression is that the easiest and the least expensive way would be to subscribe to Compuserve (it has a gateway to the Academic Net). Greetings Nahum Goldmann 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 20 May 92 18:11:37 -0400 From: ROBERT.ROTHSTEIN@SLAVIC.umass.edu Subject: Syntactic problems The syntax of the first stanza of the _Internatsional_, which has puzzled Seymour Axelrod and Eli Katz, is not as bad as it seems: Shteyt oyf, ir ale ver, vi shklafn in hunger lebn muz, in noyt... [note the corrected version: IN NOYT, not UN NOYT] Arise, all ye who like slaves Must live in hunger, in need... In English _who_ can be singular or plural ('he who lives...' vs. 'they who live...'); in Yiddish _ver_ seems to be grammatically singular even when the reference is to a plurality. Thus the singular verb form _muz_ rather than the plural _muzn_. Bob Rothstein 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 May 1992 01:08 EST From: Zev Hochberg Subject: RE: ubbergechalished Cal Pryluck asks > She asked me to ask you for a translation of a word she > thinks is "ubbergechalished" or "ibbergechalished." "It > explains how in Yiddish how I feel -- but I don't think I'm > translating it accurately." The general domain has to do > with weakness, exhaustion, fatigue, etc. But none of these > seem to her as descriptive as "ubbergechalished." I would translate "like a wet noodle" (or lukshen, if you prefer.) [Noodle is a moderately Yidlish word.] To khalesh is from the Hebrew (hello Yitzchak Kertesz) khalash = weak, and means to faint; also, khalesh tzu means be itching for, dying for (Weinreich), in the sense, I imagine, of fainting away with need (a rather genteel - no, not gentile - image.) Zev Hochberg ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 2.03 If your message is intended for MENDELE, please write to: mendele@vax1.trincoll.edu If you want to discuss personal business or have a shmues with the shames, please write to: nmiller@vax1.trincoll.edu Please sign your articles.