מענדעלע

I've fallen into the discussion without remembering the original question. But the Slavic line around which the song is centered means "Where does a tailor live around here?" (I wrote it in Polish, but the line in the Yiddish song might be from Byelorussian. Is _dzye_ the Byelorussian form of Russian _gde_/Polish _gdzie_?)

So if you're ever in Minsk or Pinsk and you need a new suit, remember this macaronic song.

Dovid Braun

Another example of the Yiddish-Ukrainian cocktail:

Pane Mirovoi, Honorable Judge, Di manse vos dertseyl ikh is azoi: Here is my story: Vin mae kozu, He has a goat, A ia maiu dakh. And I have a roof. Yogo koza His goat Shpring na miy dakh, Jump on my roof, Ia yomu kazhu, I tell him, A vin ishche lakh. But he is laughing.

Amateurish linguistic note: both Yiddish words in the second half of the verse are verbs, which from my observations matches the speech patterns of Yiddish speakers when they used their broken Ukrainian or Russian.

Iosif Vaisman

Zuntig, dem 7ter May, 2:30nm iz geboyrn gevorn....

****a nay oyfele a yidish redndik yingl****

6 fundt 5 aunses un 19.5 intsh lang mit broyne hor un bloye oygn.

Geboyrn gevorn iz er tsu stoltse eltern Naomi Cohen un Sender Botwinik fun Filedelfye. Der tate iz a muzik lerer un di mame iz a lingvist vos arbet vi a bibliotekerin.

Der bris vet forkumen Zuntig bay zey in stub.

"Zeyer kheynevdik iz dos yingele," zogt der tate.

"Nokh nisht gezogt keyn Yidish vort ober m'hofn az der vet (in a guter sho) bald onheybn redn Yidish," zogt di mame.

Bagrisn kent ir der mamen af "e-mail" af ncohen@sjuphil.sju.edu

Ruvn Millman

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the eminent Talmudic scholar and commentator, who many equate with Rashi, was featured recently on a television hookup via satellite for Jewish college students from a studio at New York University to colleges in Canada and Australia

The global telecast was officially aimed at the study of ancient texts, but the scholar roamed around matters that, to judge from the students' questions, had more immediate relevance to their concerns.

The scholar's comments were quite salty (as befits his last name Steinsaltz -- Steinsalt) At one point he said: "The study of the Talmud cannot be passive. It is like being passive in sex; you get no enjoyment of it."

The program was called _Steig '95 _ (note the German spelling), and the term "Steig" was explained as "coming from the Yiddish slang for learn."

This is quite incorrect. "Shtayg," from the verb "shtaygn," or "shtayger" (noun), is more properly described not as slang but as argot, that is a word, idiom, or concept strictly limited, in this particular instance, to the world of the yeshi've or intense religious study. It does connotes learning, but its meaning is learning _af a hekherer madrey'ge _ (on a higher spiritual level), of the type that elevates the learner to higher horizons and perspectives .

The meaning of "shtayg" in this special sense is close to the terms "ali'ye" (to be called up to the reading of the toyre), or "aliyah" (to immigrate to Israel). In both these instances the acts are considered transcending the factual events. One who immigrates to Israel is called in Hebrew "Oleh," as having reached a higher rung in his spiritual life, and one who emigrated from Israel is called in Hebrew "yored," an expatriate, an impoverished man. ["Yo'red" is, of course, also used in Yiddish in the latter sense.]

There are many synonyms in Yiddish for learning, but "Shtayg" does _ not_ come from Yiddish slang.

Zellig Bach Lakehurst, NJ

Meyshe-Yankl mentioned an off-color phrase regarding Tsar Alexander (Tsar Alexander, yafunyemat....etc). Perhaps Bob Rothstein can fill in some more phrases and/or verify the theory that this is part of a Jewish soldier's (marching) chant? I have a few others that may be of the same (though tamer) rhythm...

Tsar iz milavalsa I dal manifest Myort vi svaboda Zhivi po darrest Rasseye, Rasseye Zhal mnye tibya Blednaya gorkaya Uchistvaya

I'm sure my Russian transliteration is pretty bad, but my Bubbe led me to believe this was a Jewish conscript's song though this one I believe refers to Nicholas: freedom for the dead, prison for the living...etc. Bob?

Sheldon Benjamin Boston