_The Mendele Review_: Yiddish Literature and Language
(A Companion to _MENDELE_)
______________________________________________________
Contents of Vol. 03.020
30 December 1999

1) Yiddish Matters: from the editor (Leonard Prager)
2) "noyekh prilutski" (a. almi)
3) "misnagdim" (from _mayne zikhroyenes_) (yekhezkl kotik)

     Yiddish
     Yiddish annotated

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 30 December 1999
From: Leonard Prager 
Subject: Yiddish Matters --- a) _The Mendele Review_ completes its
third volume and looks forward to the new millenium; b) "noyekh
prilutski" by a. almi; c) yekhezkl kotik on misnagdim

a) With this issue _TMR_ completes its third volume and looks forward to
the new millenium, one in which the Noyekh Prilutski spirit -- "zogt
iber s'vertl akurat" -- will continue to inform all we do. I would like
especially to thank another Noyekh, our own Noyekh Miller, for his
constant help and encouragement, for the prodigious amount of work he
has done on the _TMR_ archive and for his exciting plans for the future.
I thank Refoyl Finkel for the wonders of his ever more powerful Yiddish
Typewriter and Iosif Vaisman for his steady cooperation. I, thank, too
our romanizers and proofreaders, past and present -- Craig Abernethy,
Lucas Bruyn, Itsik Goldenberg, Mirl Hirshan, Leah Krikun -- and invite
others to join in this vital part of the _TMR_ enterprise.


b) A. Almi's poem "noyekh prilutski"

Almi's poem "noyekh prilutski" expresses the love that Yiddish poets and
fiction writers have had for the scholars of Yiddish. Noyekh [Noah]
Prilutski (1882-1941) was an advocate who assisted many persons in their
struggle against an antisemitic regime which used bureaucratic means to
thwart its Jewish citizens economically. He was also a linguist and an
indefatigable collector of folk expressions (see _TMR_ vol.1, nos. 16
and 17 for the first dialogue in his _Dos gevet_). The poem paints the
Jewish situation in Poland before the German invasion, and may have been
composed around 1939-1940. It appears in a collection significantly
titled _letste gezangen_ ('Last Poems'). The author had decided never
again to publish a book of poems -- his personal situation and that of
Yiddish were his reasons. He asked "For whom?" (p. 9) and would indeed
be surprized that several thousand Mendelistn are reading his poem in
praise of a great student of Yiddish; he would be less surprized that
the dwindling company of Yiddish writers continue to ask themselves "For
whom?"

c) yekhezkl kotik's _mayne zikhroynes_

In full agreement with Sholem-Aleykhem and other discerning readers, we
continue in this issue to show our high estimate of Yekhezkl Kotik's
_mayne zikhroynes_ by giving an arresting excerpt from Volume One,
Chapter 29. The next issue of _TMR_ will give the second half of this
chapter, "Khsidim." Subsequently, thanks to the romanizing labors of
Lucas Bruyn, we will offer the first two chapters of the less well known
second volume. See _TMR_ 3:007 for an earlier introduction to Yekhezkl
Kotik.

2)----------------------------------------------------

Date: 30 December 1999
From: Leonard Prager 
Subject: "noyekh prilutski" by a. almi

a. almi (1892-1963)

"noyekh prilutski"

fun smotshe, stavke, gizke, shliske
un fun di shtetlekh -- nont un vayt --
es tsit zikh folk tsu shvyente kzhiske,
skeynim, vayber, yungelayt.

mit peklekh un mit hoyle poles
kumt s'folk tsu noyekhn tsu geyn;
prilutskis hoyz iz ful mit goles,
mit krekhts un folkslid un geveyn.

men nemt fun yidn tsu parnose,
"oy, ratevet, her advokat";
nor do hot noyekh a bakoshe,
"zogt iber s'vertl akurat"....

prilutski shraybt, farshraybt papirn:
mishpotim -- lider -- rednsart;
zayn feder eylt -- nisht tsu farlirn
a yidish vertl, klug un tsart.

er hert un forsht a yede mine
un zapt zikh on mit yedns tsar;
un teyl mol iz a lid, a tkhine
zayn eyntsiker un hekhster skhar.

(fun a. almi [Elias Sheps], _letste gezangen_, buenos-ayres, 1954
[aroysgegebn mit der hilf fun farband fun varshever un prager yidn in
Argentine], z. 60.]

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 30 December 1999
From: Lucas Bruyn 
Subject: "misnagdim" [from Chapter 29, Volume One _mayne zikhroynes_]
(yekhezkl kotik)

yekhezkl kotik

"mayne zikhroynes," berlin 1922 (tsveyte oyfgabe)
ershter teyl, kapitl 29 (zz. 331-336)

khsides un misnagdes. --- vos far a rayts ligt in khsides, vos hot
oyfgerirt di gantse yidishe velt? --- misnagdes als shite --- der
shulkhn-orekh. --- di khesroynes fun misnagdes. --- khsidim --- der
bal-shem. --- di tsugenglekhkayt fun khsides far ale shikhtn fun folk.
--- reb moyshe-khayim lutsatos mesilas-yeshorim. --- di demokratishe
oyffirung fun khsidim. --- der rebe un di khsidishe simkhes. --- di
khesroynes fun khsides. --- der sakhakl.

[misnagdes]

mit mayn bobes toyt hot zikh eygntlekh badarft shlisn der ershter teyl
fun mayne zikhroynes. ikh fil ober, az es muz vos gezogt vern vegn
khsides un misnagdes. vi der lezer hot bamerkt, iz in mayn bukh a sakh
mol barirt gevorn der kamf tsvishn khsides un misnagdes. ot der kamf,
velkhe ikh hob aleyn badarft durkhtrogn oyf mayne pleytses, hot mikh
gekost nisht veynik gezunt, un deriber, vilndik nisht vilndik, muz ikh
dokh eyn mol shteln in klal di frage: vos far a rayts ligt es in dem
khsides, vos hot oyfgerirt di gantse yidishe velt un vos hot
ibergetsoygn tsu zikh a gevaldike tsol yidn in di shtet un shtetlekh? in
vos fort ligt zayn kraft? farvos hot der khsidizm gekont afile bay
misnagdishe rabonim tsunemen di kinder un onmakhn an emesn khurbm in a
misnagdisher mishpokhe? ikh vel mikh pruvn nokh mayne koykhes nokh tsu
farentfern di dozike frage. makhmes nisht ale veysn bekhlal dem tamtses
fun khsides un afile fun misnagdes, veln mir pruvn dem inyen etvos
farbreytern un klorer makhn.

misnagdim firn zikh loyt dem shulkhn-orekh, in velkhn es kumen arayn ale
dinim fun toyre-shebiksav un toyre-shebalpe. dos zaynen alts
dinim-maysim, vos der mentsh (332) darf ton un vos er darf nisht ton;
ober der shulkhn-orekh hot nisht geshribn, vos der mentsh darf trakhtn
un denken, vi di gemore zogt, "rakhamono libey boiy," dos heyst, got
fodert dos harts. vegn dem iz in shulkhn-orekh gornisht dermont. un azoy
hobn di geoynim nokhn shulkhn-orekh geshribn, vos a yid darf ton, vi er
darf zikh firn un alts shverer gemakht di shvere yidishe dinim, vos iz
geven ummeglekh ibertsutrogn. hagam der barimter seyfer
khoyves-halevoves, vos iz farfast fun rabeynu bakhye hazokn, mit akht
hundert yor tsurik un redt arum mit zeyer klore un daytlekhe verter, vi
azoy der mentsh darf nor reynikn dos harts mit gute mides, dokh nisht
kukndik oyf dem, vos der seyfer iz zeyer ongenumen, tayer un populer bay
yidn biz hayntikn tog, hot der shulkhn-orekh, vos iz aroys fil shpeter
fun khoyves-halevoves, fundestvegn farnumen bay yidn dem hoyptplats. der
shulkhn-orekh iz gevorn bay zey der gantser iker fun yidishkayt un
gevizn mitsves-maysim, dos heyst nor ton mitsves bepoyel mamesh, ober
nisht denken. di mitsves, vos zaynen shayekh tsu der neshome, tsu der
psikhik fun mentshn, vi gayve, anove, ahave, sine, kine, kaas, khnife,
sholem voriv ukhedoyme, loyt dem zin fun toyre un neviim zaynen gevorn
bay yidn a tofl, a min bayzakh, oyf velkhe men kon kukn mit fardros, mit
harts-veytik, ober dokh farbaylozn farbay oyg.

loyt dem shulkhn-orekh mit di iberike geoynishe sforim, darf a yid
davnen un lernen, un fastn, un zikh paynikn un gor keyn hanoe nisht
hobn fun der velt, azoy vi men dertseylt fun vilner goen, velkher hot
gefirt a groyse makhloykes mit di khsidim, az er flegt oprikhtn goles,
flegt er broyt nisht esn, nor shlingen, kedey er zol keyn tam fun esn
nisht filn.

un di frume misnagdim hobn take gedavnt fil un gelernt fil, un geton
mitsves fil, un hobn zikh fil gepaynikt, un fil geveynt, un nokh alem
zaynen zey geven in groys shrek far di malakhe-khabole, vos paynikn dem
mentshn oyf yener velt mit di shreklekhste yesurim, vos a moyl kon nor
oysreydn.

der frumer misnaged iz shtendik geven fartroyert, farkhoyshekht un
dershlogn: fun der velt hot er nisht getort genisn un far yener velt
hot er moyre gehat, un er iz keyn mol nisht yoytse gevorn farn
shulkhn-orekh un far di sforim fun di geoynim. er (333) iz shtendik
geven hintershtelik in emune-zakhn un hot zikh geshrokn far der
hintershtelikayt.

un ver redt --- yene misnagdim, vos hobn nisht gehat keyn shtarke frume
naturn, zaynen avade geven dershlogn fun zeyer shvakher yidishkayt un
hobn shtendik gelebt in eyn eyme un pakhed far dem din-vkhezhbm fun
bezdn-shel-mayle, velkher bashtroft shreklekh far yede mindste aveyre.

azoy hot zikh yeder misnaged arumgetrogn mit zayn emune-tsar, un keyn
brekl simkhe iz bay zey nisht geven tsu zen. a fartsogt folk, vos laydt
goles un tsores, un oyserdim hobn zey a yene velt, nokhn toyt, nokh mit
gresere yesurim, vos di yesurim fun der velt zaynen a tropn in yam
antkegn yene.

loyt di shite fun misnagdim kon an amorets, a yid vos kon nisht lernen,
avade keyn erlekher yid nisht zayn. er muz lernen un visn ot di ale
dinim, er darf bekhlal lernen, lernen un lernen. es farshteyt zikh, az
an amorets hot bay keynim keyn vert nisht, er vert gehast, un oyb er iz
an oreman, vos tsulib dem darf men im gevis moykhl zayn zayn ameratses,
vert er nokh dertsu gehaltn far a gemeyn bashefenish. aza yid iz bay zikh
genug gefaln, vorem er iz nisht mer, vi a ben-odem, un di iberike zaynen
bney-elohim.

in ot der nideriker madreyge hobn zikh shtendik gefunen bale-melokhes.
bale-melokhes zaynen fun oreme eltern. di oreme eltern hobn opgegebn di
kinder yung tsu der arbet. di kinder hobn deriber nisht gekont lernen,
zaynen geven ameratsim un nokh oreme-layt! iz bay misnagdim a bal-melokhe
farrekhnt geven vi a gemeyn bashefenish. es farshteyt zikh, az fun aza
batsiung tsu a poshetn yidn, vos hot zikh, nebekh, tsulib goles gemuzt
opraysn fun lernen, hot zikh bay di misnagdim gemuzt shtark antviklen dos
gefil fun gayve.

hersht take shreklekh dos gefil fun gayve bay misnagdim. a kleynikayt ---
koved! yogn zey zikh nokh koved oyf alerley oyfanim. yeder misnaged mest
mit a mos zayn yikhes un dem khavers yikhes. der yikhes bashteyt fun
tsvey sortn: raykhkayt-yikhes un toyre-yikhes. geyt es azoy: ver es
kon beser lernen, tsi ver es hot toyznt rubl halt zikh groys kegn dem,
vos hot hundert rubl, un der vos hot tsen toyznt rubl, halt zikh groys
kegn dem, vos hot toyznt un azoy vayter.

(334) itst iz farshtendlekh di niderike un dershlogene madreyge, in
velkher es gefinen zikh in di shuln un bote-midroshim di oreme-layt
(sofkl-sof falt di kharpe fun ameratses nor oyfn oreman, vorem on di
ameratses fun gvir fargest men tsulib zayn gelt). mit zey shemt men zikh
tsu redn, far zey zaynen oysgeteylt erter nebn tir un men kukt zikh
nisht um oyf zey.

oykh felt bay misnagdim di mide fun akhdes un sholem. yederer lebt far
zikh un keyner vil nisht visn vos der anderer makht. az dos gefil fun
gayve iz shtark antviklt, antviklt zikh shoyn bmeyle dos gefil fun kine
un azoy fargint men nisht bay misnagdim eyner dem andern nisht yenems
gelt, nisht yenems koved, nisht yenems yikhes. un shtendik iz bay zey
krig un makhloykes say in di shtotishe inyonim, say in privatn lebn un
say in di bote-midroshim.

di bote-midroshim zaynen bay yidn dos eyntsike ort, vu men klaybt zikh
tsunoyf. amol flegt men farbrengen dem grestn teyl tsayt in besmedresh.
dray mol in tog davnen, lernen un glat shmuesn. azoy iz der besmedresh
der eyntsiker "klub" bay yidn. nor tsulib der misnagdisher shite iz
ayngefirt, az yeder hot zayn bashtimt ort, vos er koyft far gelt, un az
er kumt in besmedresh tsum davnen, shtelt er zikh oyf zayn plats, vos
heyst "shtot". yeder hot in besmedresh zayn shtot, vos geyt iber tsu di
kinder byerushe. di "shtet" shpiln a groyse role in dem inyen fun koved
un yikhes. a misnaged kon zikh onton di greste shverikaytn, abi er zol
hobn in besmedresh a hekhere shtot fun zayn khaver, oder khotsh nisht
keyn klenere.

in di shtetlekh, in mayne kindershe yorn, gedenk ikh, az der prayz fun a
shtot in mizrekh iz geven azoy groys vi der prayz fun a hoyz. di dozike
"shtet" hobn nisht veynik blut kalye gemakht dem misnaged, un der, vos
vet amol shraybn di geshikhte fun zey, vet hobn aza materyal, vos vet im
gikher dermonen in a drobner heslekher milkhome, eyder in an inyen, vos
iz shayekh tsu emune, tsu a shul.

di oreme-layt, vi gezogt, shteyn baym same tir. zey hobn nisht keyn ort,
vu tsu zitsn, punkt vi zey voltn geven shteyner un nisht keyn mentshn.
un keyn eyn misnaged hot zikh zikher - khotsh oyf a regele --- nisht
farklert, tsi iz dos pasik far gots hoyz, az mentshn zoln dort (335)
geteylt vern oyf "shener" un oyf "miser", oyf raykher un oyf oremer.

afile bay di alies tsu der toyre iz vayter koved. men teylt di balebatim
alies, un in di alies zaynen oykh do madreyges vi lemoshl, shlishi,
shishi, vos zaynen di hekhste madreyges. un shvii, akhren, mafter, vos
zaynen shoyn fun a klenerer madreyge, un revii, khamishi, --- fun
nokh a klenerer. der gabe, vos shteyt bay der toyre un teylt di alies,
vegt dem koved fun yeder balebos un kneytsht gut dem shtern, tsi past di
un di parshe fun undzer heyliker toyre, vu yedes vort iz an oytser, far
dem un dem balebos, vi meshune dos iz! un dos rov mistame "past" zi
nisht, krigt men zikh, shlogt men zikh afile, un mit sine-kine iz
ongefilt di atmosfer fun a misnagdim-shul.

alies zaynen faran ingantsn akht, tsvishn di por hundert davner zaynen
ober faran in yeder shul bay etlekhe tsendlik gvirim negidim, groyse
balebotim un "sheyne" yidn, vos viln umbadingt an aliye --- tseteylt men
bay misnagdim di psukim fun der toyre un men ruft oyf nokh shishi nisht
parshevayz, nor psukimvayz.

di oreme-layt ober vern kemat keyn mol nisht oyfgerufn tsu der toyre. vi
yidn, un vi frume yidn, farshaft es zey, farshteyt zikh, a sakh tsar un
fardros, un derfun mistame hot zikh dos genumen, vos dos rov hobn oreme
mentshn un bale-melokhes ayngeordnt minyonim far zikh, vu zey konen
genisn an aliye un opotemen fray fun di kharpes, vos zey hobn
oystsushteyn in di shuln un bote-midroshim.

alzo, iz in besmedresh bay di misnagdim nishto keyn akhdes un keyn
sholem, un keyn simkhe. azoy vi in der-vokhn, azoy iz shabes un yontef.
yeder misnaged geyt nokhn davnen aheym, est op mit zayn familye un geyt
shlofn. men zingt nisht, men tantst nisht, men freyt zikh nisht. oder
gedavnt, oder gelernt, oder epes geton, oder gegesn, oder geshlofn.
zakhn, vos zoln zayn oyser davnen, oyser lernen, oyser esn un shlofn,
torn nisht zayn. es farshteyt zikh, az fun dem alem iz der misnaged
arayngefaln in a shreklekher truknkayt, in a min vistenish, vu simkhe,
ekstaz un emese lebns-bagaysterung hobn gornisht gekont zayn.

dos zaynen in kurtsn di khesroynes fun misnagdes, als azelkhes:
opgezundertkayt, opgeteyltkayt, eyme far yener velt, (336) absolut on
der velt, has un farakhtung tsu umshuldiker ameratses, vos iz geven
bloyz oyfn oreman, makhmes dem gvir, dem amorets, hot men moykhl geven.
has un farakhtung tsum oremen bekhlal, als azelkhn, gayve, kine, sine,
makhloykes, yikhes, un iberhoypt, truknkayt, lebnslozikayt, on simkhe,
on freyd, on ekstaz, --- ot di ale zakhn, vos zaynen shtendik azoy tsum
hartsn di demokratishe teyln fun folk. es farshteyt zikh, az bay azoyne
badingungen hot bay yidn gemuzt aroysshpringen epes a naye shite, an
iberkerenish, a nayes, vos iz take bald gekumen.
=======================================================================
end of _The Mendele Review_ 03.020

Leonard Prager, editor 

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