מענדעלע

Joachim Neugroschel's comments [6.129,4] on "A vayse kapore" heroine's (poor woman! it all started from an innocent liubistok) choice of German reading versus Russian, Yiddish, or Hebrew raise another interesting question: in which language she read Goethe, Schiller, and, yes, Zschokke?

All three authors were readily available at that time in translation to all three above-mentioned languages, e.g. (I am omitting examples of Russian translations):

Goethe

Neveh ha-tsedek, maskil shir yedidot (Varsha, J.Lebensohn, 1857; tr. in Hebrew by Marcus Rothberg), Verters leyden (Vilna, 1910, tr. in Yiddish by Solomon Yudson).

Schiller

Di Royber (Varsha, F.Kantarovich, 1912, tr. in Yiddish by David Kassel), Kesher Fiyesko be-Genoa (Drogobych: A.H.Zupnik, 1888; tr. in Hebrew by Samuel Abely Apfel), Shelihut Mosheh (Lemberg: K.Bodvayzer, 1878, tr. in Hebrew by Meier Stockmann), Miryam Styuart, malkat Shottland (Vilna, 1879; tr. in Hebrew by Solomon Kovner), Vilhelm Tell (Vilna: Romm, 1882; tr. in Hebrew by David Radner).

Zschokke

Lel shimurim (Varsha: Sh.A.Peshes, 1883; tr. in Hebrew by Mordecai Aaron Ginzburg), Har-Zalmon (Vilna: L.L.Matz, 1878; tr. in Hebrew by Isidor Margolis).

By the way, this list can be added to the Michael Steinlauf's argument [6.128,1] about the hermetically sealed Jewish communities (and here we are talking about 19th century!).

As to Zschokke, he does not seem to fit a profile of a regular supermarket novelist. Being an author of "Abaellino, the great bandit", he was also a poet, historian, and theologian, whose selected prose and poetry in 17 volumes was published 11 times between 1830 and 1880 (plus countless single editions). A separate ten-volume set of "Stunden der Andacht" with titles like "Gott in der heiligen Schrift", "Gott in der Natur", "Gott in leben der Volker", "Gott in der Familie", "Christliche liebe", etc. was apparently quite popular as well (judging by a number of editions in different languages, including Russian). And I don't know what was closer associated with Zschokke's name among Sholem Aleichem's contemporaries: Abaellino or Jesus?

Iosif Vaisman

In Michael Steinlauf's note about the distance from the tradition of some of Perets's readers, (and of our own post Holocaust secular world all the more so), he mentions that Bashevis could always go to a remote settlememnt to dip into the old ways.

It's an interesting coincidence that Bashevis came to mind. His good friend and _lantsman_ (and cosurvivor) Aron Tsaytlin wrote ruefully in the 1920's (if memory serves) in Warsaw of his own ignorance of the tradition in comparison to the knowledge of his father Hillel Tsaytlin.

I've often thought in response that I would gladly settle for what the younger Tsaytlin had managed to absorb in his day in Warsaw. I've also wondered if Tsaytlin wasn't recording a feature of judeo-filial psychology as well. There is a kh'sidic story about how the first generation after the BESHT forgot the words he sang when he lit a fire in the forest, and the next generation forgot the melody, the next generation forgot how to light the fire, and the next generation did not know the place in the forest, and our generation is left with remembering the story, and that has to be enough.

Meyle--but I find this a limited consolation).

David Goldberg

[Regarding Dovid Braun's post (6.130):]

Harkavy 1928, p.125

_BemOkem_ she-eyn ish (iz hering oykh a fish).

Mikhl Herzog

I have compiled a short list of Yiddish tautologies and would be interested in hearing from other Mendelenikes on this subject. The classic tautology is, of course, "gut yomtov", but minhog oyker din, even the laws of syntax, and centuries of usage have made it acceptable. Others, as often as not jocose, are "gute besures toives", "mayim akhroynim vasser", "a por vert divrey toyre", "katori vos" (or even "katori vos velkher") and "tomer efsher". Friend of mine once told me about a particularly unctuous rabbi who insisted on giving a sermon every Shabbes. He would start by addressing the suffering members of the congregation: "Raboysay, ladies and gentlemen".

Other examples will be gratefully reveived and acknowledged. I should add that narsty ethnic slights like, "Litvak tselemkop", Yekke Potz", "Rumener gonef" etc. while they are considered tautologies by some are not by me, probably because I would have to include "Poileshe dripke" which is too close for comfort.

Mechl Asheri

der fraynt bernard gershen fregt zikh [6.130] tzi emitzer hot gehert dos vort "povitinya"vi a sinonim fun shpinveb. stutchkov, in zayn oytzer, brengt folgnde ekvivalentn: shpinveb, shpinneveb, shpinvekhtz, geshpin, poitine, povetine, zumer-fedem, elul-fedem, eretz-isroel-fedem, altvayber-zumer. mayne eltern, vos shtamen funem poylish shtetl stok,bay vengrove, banutzn zikh mitn oysdruk "pantchene". ot emitzer gehert vegn dem? zayt ale gezunt un hot a freylekhn khanike. ayer argentiner fraynt.

moishe kijak