The Long Wait
It’s scary, he says. Only two hundred thirty nine years left until the end of time. That’s not a lot of time, he says. And still he hasn’t come. It’s very scary.
My father waits for Moshiach. Year after year he finds hints within our sacred texts showing that the year has finally come. Some years he has more definite deadlines than others. He cites passages from the Zohar indicating that this is it, Moshiach can’t come any later. It’s finally here, he insists, clearly this year must bring with it the ketz, the secret deadline hinted at long ago by our patriarch Jacob, who attempted to reveal its time to his sons on his deathbed but then didn’t dare, the holy spirit wouldn’t allow it.
But as our sages said long ago, all the deadlines have passed and still the son of David has yet to arrive.
And now, it seems, my father has changed. He no longer proclaims with excitement that he’s discovered a new hint. He isn’t giving any new deadlines. He seems frustrated now, on edge. Why is God waiting? he seems to be wondering. But all he keeps saying is, It’s scary. Moshiach isn’t here yet. It’s very scary.
It’s Motzei Shabbos, and we’ve already sung the miraculous tale, “There once was a man, a Chasid.” We hurry through “Fear not, Jacob, my servant,” and then my father tells a fantastic tale, a baal-shemska maiseh, how the saintly rebbe, Reb Leib Sureh’s, resurrected the dead body of a child, the son of a poor widow. It’s a true story, he says. He knows it for certain. This child, he claims, has grandchildren alive today. Some even bear its exact name.
It’s peculiar, my father muses aloud. They already had newspapers at the time, and he wonders why they made no mention of these miraculous tales. Surely the tales must’ve been newsworthy. And again he speaks of Moshiach.
It’s frightening, he says. It’s now 5771 and still no sign of our redemption.
Why is it frightening? I ask. He will come when he will come. Why worry?
My father is quiet, and I tell him a parable once told by the Magid of Dubna:
A fox was once very hungry. He searched for food, but couldn’t find any. Until he noticed, high atop a tall tree, a group of blue birds singing. If I can get the birds down, the fox thought to himself, I will have a nice meal.
Birdies! The fox called. Come down and let us play together. Have no fear, for the Messiah has arrived. The old prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled:
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.
The birds cheered. It’s a new world, they proclaimed in unison. Birds and foxes will now be friends.
Loud howling noises were suddenly heard from afar.
Birds, my dearest friends, the fox said. Can you look from the treetops and tell me where the howling noises come from?
Our dear brother fox, the birds said. A group of large wolves is headed in your direction.
The fox began to run as fast as it could.
Why are you running, dear fox? The birds cried. Didn’t you just tell us that the Messiah has come? Why, then, do you fear the wolves?
Yes, the fox said, barely able to catch its breath. But what will I do if the wolves don’t believe in the Messiah?
My father grips his black beard tightly with his right hand, his eyes on the fork he is holding with the other, nervously tapping it on the empty plate that earlier held a slice of gefilte fish left over from the Sabbath meals.
It is indeed freighting, I finally say agreeably. I regret telling the parable.
He starts humming the Eliyahu Hanavi song, the gut-wrenching melody echoing millenia of exile and desperation. We repeat 101 times as is customary.
Eliyahu HaNavi, Eliyahu HaTishbi,
Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu HaGil’adi.
Bim’hera b’yameynu yavo eleynu,
Im Moshiach ben Dovid.
Fortunate is he who had seen his face in a dream. And he shall turn the hearts of fathers unto the sons, and the hearts of the son unto their fathers.
Speedily may he come, speedily may he come, speedily may he come, along with the Messiah, son of David.
For my father, it seems, he hasn’t come speedily enough. Will he come at last?
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Very touching and beautiful narrative. You set quite a haunting tone that really highlights the mysteries of mysticism (forgive the halfhearted pun) within religion. Well done.
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Sorry Megan if Im shaking up your world construct, but the Jews dont believe in the coming of the messiah purely on a mystical plane; that too. They believe it to be an actual event that is yet to take place. The coming of the messiah has mystical properties too, but not at the price of the authanticity of the event.
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There is enough mysticism in the article to warrant Meagan’s observation, the Zohar, the BESHT, Elijah and the fathers attitude, (even the setting is mystically set in the future, year 5771
)
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I would love to be around in year 6000. Would be so interesting to see what happens.
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I was referring to the mood and atmosphere of the piece, not so much the semantics. Vevel Chusid did a fine job, in my post-graduate opinion, of creating a relatively ominous mood and nicely set up the father-son relationship. Bravo.
But I’m sure the author appreciates your input, R&C.
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AG – u can see the preview everyday on Unpious. But I’m sure that apologists will not despair and cede the battle so easily. Already today, midrashim are surfacing that extend the 6K timetable. And despite the Deroshos Horan, the beraita of 7K is still only a minority view. So ladies & gentlemen Ahn-pious, just keep posting away – u still have a long way to go before we sleep.
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Pen.
I agree that these themes have mystical value. I just wanted to point out that the yearning for the wholesome redemption shouldn’t be understood as only a mystical concept. To the practicing Jew, redemption, resurrection of the dead and all the lofty promises the prophets made about the world to come are all real and anticipated events, besides for the mystical value these events might hold.
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R & C – ‘an actual event yet to take place’. A congregant in the shtetel once complained to the Rabbi about his inability to retain gainful employment. The Rabbi offered him the position of town watchman to notify the populace of the coming of the Messiah. “The pay is low,” warned the Rabbi,”but the job security is great!”
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R&C – ‘to the practicing Jew’ – many non-practicing ‘believe’ – any many non-believers practice. We r On UnPious after all
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Hahaha. very funny Mendy.
I have always been puzzled by this phenomenon. It seems that full fledge believers sometimes refer with sarcasm to the coming of the messiah. For some reason it is permitted to make jokes about Moshiach’s centuries spanning procrastination. The jokes can go as far as mocking the whole idea that he will ever appear. I’m puzzled at that. The belief in his coming is after all one of the 13 principles of the faith according to the Rambam. Can you imagine a believer making light of the 1st and 2nd principles? Never. How so has Moshiach become the butt of so many good and nonetheless kosher jokes that mock the whole phenomenon?
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R&C it is interesting, although, Moshiach is a “heintiger” a contemporary and so perhaps is scorn-worthy.
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Pen- I’m not sure if he is a hyntiger or not. If you would take notice the scorn is not about him personally, it’s about his coming. You are still not permitted to mock his personality or question his righteousness, but for some reason you are allowed to be jovial about his for-ever-taking arrival.
We are talking so much about the coming of the mesiah that im compelled to repeat a joke.
Why did Chay Mushka perform oral sex on Menachem Mendel? Because she wanted to see Moshiach come…hahahah. If you find it distasteful, I don’t care.
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“For some reason it is permitted to make jokes about Moshiach’s centuries spanning procrastination.”
RC, You can be sure it’s not so permitted with the ultras, just try to make a joke and they will cut you short “nee, klap dir ofen moil”
Mendy, the zealots already have their apologetic slogan ready in place:
’הקב’ה בונה עולמות ומחריבן’
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Pen: And why 239 years? It’s indeed mystical ואין מגלין אלא לצנועיו. The main reason messiah can’t come, the math doesn’t add up
R&C: think it’s true a slight joke on Messiah’s account will not be as serious as one on God’s. After all there is R’ Hillel in Talmud Sanhedrin 98 who claims: אין משיח לישראל. The premise of Messiah in Judaism is relatively new, it took shape at the later second temple era, no mention in Tanach about (a Jewish..) Messiah although there’s is lofty talk about a new world order like Isaiah quoted in the article.
Meagen: Thanks for the kind words. Can a non Jewess understand the spirit of Malavah Malkah I wonder, as much as Friday night is high and holy Motzei shabbos is the opposite down in the dumps, it’s uniquely jewish
Mendy: A similar Joke is known. It was a shtetle full of schnorers and one businessman, he was up to a new investment and promised the whole shtetle to get rich so everyone invested their last penny, except one newlywed yingermanchik who despite everyone claiming he is crazy he wouldn’t invest his ‘naden’ and become rich. In the end the entire adventure went bupkes so everyone ran to the young man wondering how did you know not to invest at this? He said I’m not a prophet I was praying next to this businessman and overheard him crying ‘God you must send Moshiac now’ I knew it’s not פויגלדיק…
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Your post reminds me of my favorite Yom Tov Erlich song;
Ich hob gevart in gevart..
.
In ich bin gebliben biem varten.
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Velvel- interesting stuff. I’m aware of the Reb Hillel in Sanhedrin. A.J. Heschel has an intersting piece on that Reb Hillel which sadly I don’t remember at the moment. I will have to look it up.
Its interesting that the concept of a messiah would develop during the later period of the second tample. The ultimate mission of the messiah is to rebuild the temple and return the Jews to their homeland.Why than would there be a need for a redeemer if the Jews still had a temple and were still for the most part living, or at least allowed, to live in Isreal?
It is never the less clear that the concept did arise during the second temple since we know that Jesus claimed to be the long awaited messiah.
It could be that during the later period of the second temple the Jews felt the opression of the Romans, they no longer had full atonomy, and that might have given rise to the mythical concept of a messiah that would appear and set things right, the way it was and the way it is supposed to be.
I’m only speculating. Further aufklerung is desperatley needed.Any insight on the matter would be appreciated.
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Hoezen. And I always thought its an MBD original. BTW, pretty good song.
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No Rand CN its not. MBD actually contaminates it.
Its a hauntingly beautiful love song.
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R&C — MBD? That’s blasphemous. What’s next? “Yakob” by Avraham Fried? Tehilim by Dovid Hamelech? (The Bible by God?)
I think we need a serious primer here on the greats of Jewish music. The pioneers. Dershowitz, Shenker, and Ehrlich. Volunteers?
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For that matter, I’ll take a review of Lipa if I can’t get anything else. At least he pushes the envelope and got himself a ban. It’s more than we can say for ourselves.
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Ruptch,
Literally, Messiah means the anointed one; just a Christ means the same. Kings were anointed. There has long been a tradition of king from the Davidic dynasty who will restore the united Judaic and Israelite kingdom to its former glory. This is mentioned by a prophet as early as Isaiah, if those passages are indeed his. According to many commentators, it’s hinted to in Genesis 49, considered a very early text.
Some believed Hezekiah was the Messiah, the above mentioned Rav Hillel learned so. Prophet Jeremiah thought Josiah was the Messiah, and Rebbi Akiva thought Bar Kokhba was the Messiah. The principal duty of a king is political: to rule the people and to maintain a militia. What’s the common denominator between these three figures? They were independent leaders who defied the rule of foreign overlords. Zerubbabel headed the first return from Babylonian exile and laid the foundation to the second Temple, but nobody considered him Messiah. Nehemia was a later Judean governor who fortified the city and the Temple, but nobody considered him Messiah either. Why? Because they governed by the will of the Persian Empire.
The Messiah is a Davidic king, and has nothing to do with anything priestly. Jesus was the leader of a spiritual kingdom; he invented a new type of Messiah. Schneerson was also a spiritual Messiah.
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HT
My only reference to the song is through MBD. I never heard the original version. I highly doubt it was meant to be a love song in the sense of-love between man and woman, or between two persons for all you egalitarian freaks out there. Why would lovers meet in the shul of all places? I always understood it to be an expression of the longing to see or behold God. That’s why the ending is special, as you pointed out; it’s anti climactic and aboriginal.
HR
I always disliked Avrum Fried and his extremely repugnant and irksome voice. So we agree on that. MBD on the other hand, although I haven’t listened to him in quite some time, was my childhood rock star. I think the guy knows how to sing. Of all the Jewish/hymish musicians I think he takes the cake. Lipa can’t touch him. In oich, MBD is amul geven a echte goiy, which Lipa can’t claim.
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Misyavni — True, early conceptions of the Messiah were mostly political. (And Maimonides, too, accepts the purely political conception — which in the Talmud is a matter of contention: ולא ישתנה במציאות שום דבר ממה שהוא עתה, אלא שהמלכות תחזור לישראל, וזהו לשון החכמים: “אין בין העולם הזה לימות המשיח אלא שעבוד מלכיות בלבד”.)
But even so, one can’t discount the conception of the Messiah as have a strong spiritual component. The prophets predict an era in which wisdom and the “knowledge” of God reign supreme, humankind will no longer pursue war-craft, and even animals will set aside their natural predatory instincts,וגר זאב עם כבש.
I think R&C’s question is a valid one if indeed the messianic conception is a purely political one. But I don’t think it can be argued that it is. Even those who claim it is all about שעבוד גליות do so, I suspect, only to discount the predictions of astonishing miracles and an entirely different form of living: ready prepared food off the trees, gentiles hanging on to the tzitzis of the Jews and becoming subservient to them, etc. (Talk about Yom Tov Ehrlich, with his stories of flying synagogues, non-Jews clamoring to get on the Jews’ good side, etc. and his other wonderfully fanciful portrayals in his Kol Mevaser album… for those who happen to be familliar).
But the answer is probably that the messianic era went through an evolution over time (like most ideas). It probably started out as more political, simply a unification of Israel and Judah with a righteous Davidic king at the helm, but took on a vividness in the Jews’ collective imagination once the exiles came about — a vividness that probably became even more imaginative after the destruction of the 2nd temple.
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R&C — Yom Tov Ehrlich most certainly didn’t intend it as a love song between humans. But the song is inspired by Shir Hashirim — Y.T. Ehrlich prefaces the original song, which is on the Shabbos tape, with a clear indication of that. And Shir Hashirim is indeed a love song about humans, metaphoric interpretations to the contrary (which, for all we know, might very well have origin in the author’s intentions) notwithstanding.
BTW — “aboriginal”?
MBD was my hero too. Between him and Fried (both of who did YT Ehrlich covers), MBD comes close to doing the songs justice; Fried just butchers them.
As for Lipa, for all his meshigaasen, he does something that few other Chasidish music personalities ever did (with the exception of YT Ehrlich): he actually creates music that is truly artistic and original. Which, with all due respect to his status as king, MBD never did. The farthest MBD came was in singing his early material in some faux modern-Hebrew accent. And one, somewhat daring song about a future utopia, שיר השלום, which, when you think about it, is really pretty prosaic.
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And the winner for most uncool comment goes to: “did a fine job, in my post-graduate opinion.”
And the winner for most elitist (racist?), ignorant comment goes to: “Can a non Jewess understand the spirit of Malavah Malkah I wonder.”
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(Talk about Yom Tov Ehrlich, with his stories of flying synagogues, non-Jews clamoring to get on the Jews’ good side, etc. and his other wonderfully fanciful portrayals in his Kol Mevaser album… for those who happen to be familiar).
Rebel, you must be referring to,
“Az moshiach’s kimen vet in flamen,
In vet inz firen iber yamen,
In davke oif a papirenem brik.”
I used to take the approach and understanding that Moshiach’s coming referred to a collective yet very individual and personal spiritual reawakening.
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Which YT Ehrlich song is loosely based on this melody? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU0WNE14RAY
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Rebel,
Back in his day, MBD pushed the envelope too. His song “Let my people go” outraged the frummer element as well.
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The concept of messiah is older than the Roman period. The Dead Sea scrolls are already full of apocalypticism and redemption visionaries. As HR points out the Jewish idea of Messiah is complicated, a mixture of political and mystical components. Jews at the second Temple era were not really autonomous it was under the Persian, Greek or Roman rule except for the brief Maccabees independence, so the ground was fertile for messianic hopes.
Yom Tov Erlich: I too grew up on his tapes, it is indeed a shame his songs are hardly listened to today. Kids today probably don’t even know his name.
Bethany:areyou serious or joking? I heard someone say: I don’t care what you say about me just spell my name right..
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Certainly, the Messianic conception, both his era and his personal character, did undergo an evolution. I refuse to understand the above quotes passages literally. It’s a metaphor for a new world order that fits the prophetic-pacifistic outlook. Utopian details were later piled up, specifically by Midrashic sources. Same goes for the supposed righteousness of the Messiah, which meant different things to different generations.
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Martin, if you are referring to the lyrics, I’ve got no clue.
Which song is it?
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Yom Tov Ehrlich: I too grew up on his tapes, it is indeed a shame his songs are hardly listened to today. Kids today probably don’t even know his name.
Velvel, I was a kid a long time ago. You know, when dinosaurs were still around. But even back then in the 80s and 90s, most kids were not listening to YTE. My father made a deal with me, that for every YTE song I memorized, I would get two dollars.
I guess we can do that with our kids today as well, though we will have to quadruple those two bucks..
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Rebel, MBD’s שיר השלום is a Barry Manilow original.
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No HT, the melody only.
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HT — That’s on the ‘Emuna’ album. But there are many others with even more fanciful descriptions. ‘Kol Mevaser’ is an entire album about Moshiach, and the last song on ‘Dai’, I think, is also in that genre.
Martin — Sounds only vaguely familiar, and my guess is it’s one of his Holocaust songs on ‘Chevlei Moshiach’. That was an album I couldn’t quite stomach; way too gloomy.
Insider — Is that right?! Which one?
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Good HR, very good, David Horodok:
א שטיבעלע א זיבעלע מען נעמט עס אן אין האנט
א גארניקל אן איינגבויגטע וואנט, אוי יו יו
א דעכעלע א בלעכעלע א בלושקע אין דער הויך
א קוימענדל וואס שטענדיג גייט א רויך
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And btw, Stein, I don’t refer to your racial or ethnic heritage when saying “Jews aren’t your people.” I refer to the level of vitriol you spout towards anyone who chooses a different lifestyle from yours. To their credit, frum Jews generally have an overwhelming sense of compassion, at least towards their own. That sentiment is extremely hard to find anywhere in your writings. (You said you’d kill your own child if he turns out gay, for God’s sake.)
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Martin — Yes, I remember now. Beautiful tune, but very sad.
Interesting that you point this out. People seem unaware that YTE was actually quite worldly. It’s well known that many of his melodies were non-Jewish, which points to a more expansive awareness of the outside world. And while I’m sure he was a very devout believer, I do think his personality and worldview were more complex than they seem on the surface. He had an intensely romantic conception of the Jewish people, their history, and their worldview. But I’m not sure he really thought Jews were better than non-Jews because they had gefilte fish and kugel, a claim he makes on one of his albums.
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Nah, you guys don’t even know what you’re going to miss out when Moshiach arrives on his little donkey on the Brooklyn Bridge, oh how beautiful the scene will be, millions of Jews will gather on the bridge and jump into a huge cloud which will be docked at the bridge, the cloud will then take off and fly to our Holy Land, miraculously nobody will fall out.
Billions of Jews freshly crawled out of their graves will be gathered on the Mountains of Greezim and Eivul, the fact that so many people will fit into such a narrow place will be the 8th wonder of the world, oh oh, oh how my hands are shivering and my heart is pounding while I try to illustrate the next scene, the huge Shor Habor with his long horn which will have the ability to wrap around the world 91 times will come flying down with a vengeance, and the mega long Livyoson fish with his tail having the capability of creating wind storms for 300 million years with one wave of his tail will come flying in from far far away.
Tears are rolling down my cheeks just imaging….oh how profound this scene will be, oh how holy it will be, oh how blessed those eyes who shall witness all of this, when all of Klal Yisroel will then enter the Livyoson fish and start grabbing bites out of its walls… the huge feast has started! Oh those wholy dances will start, as we recite in the Akdumis, מטיילי בי חינגא בהדי שכינתא’ His Holyness will then start the dance with the holy sages…Imagine the Magid of Chernobel engulfed in a holy tango with Reb Mayerl of Primishlan…the hot vapor being released from their holy foreheads…while angles are trying to grab a sniff off the delicious aroma…..the good Gentiles walking around with big trays of all types of grass, coke, pop, marijuana, our holy sages being engulfed in the smoke while pearls of wisdom and secrets of the past 5 thousand years hidden in the light of the Torah being poured out the to masses.
.אשרי עין ראתה אלה
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Stein — your last comment was appropriately flagged for moderation. (And I’m sure you know why.) Kudos to our WordPress system for knowing a troll when it sees one.
Keep the discussion relevant and on topic and we’ll have no problem with you. Engage in your childish antics and we’ll be happy to see you go.
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Insider — that’s pretty vivid.
Truth is, I always thought the fight between the Shor Habor and the Livyuson would be too gory for me. I never dared admit it, but I secretly hoped I’ll finagle my way out of having to watch.
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HR, Oops! you just gave Them an idea how to punish you for all your sins, they will force you to watch…
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It’s well known that many of his melodies were non-Jewish,
I have only found a source for this, which I happened to bump into this whilst listening to obscure Classics. I would love to find more original sources for his melodies. Imagine what the original Ich Hob Gevart or Gezen Ich hob a cholom must be like if there are originals.
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Re YTE, I heard that most of his tunes were adaptations of Russian folk songs.
If the Kaliver did that, why shouldn’t he.
Marvin, I remember that song. That tape was gory. The saddest song I think was ” Der briv treiger hot bagegent mir, in shmiechlen zich genimen…”
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great piece. i actually felt so sad for the father in the end, waiting for something that won’t happen. the whole concept of moshiach always made me think of those fairy tales of how one day the poor, pathetic princess-turned-scullery maid would be swept off her feet by the handsome prince and they’d ride off together into the sunset and live happily ever after. wait as long as you want, but the sad truth is that it’s just not going to happen. (although, the fairy tale sounds a lot more likely next to the idea of moshiach.
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R&C & HR – While a personal Messiah might be a later development, messianism is a movement with early first-exile roots. The return to Zion & the Second Temple were contested and viewed at best as a compromise according to both the religious & academic literature that discuss these issues ( Teitelbaum & Ravitsky ). Meanwhile, how about an UNPIOUS get together to celebrate our liberation from a mazav – Ad Delo Yada ! Keviyin kad tehevei behane …
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Emily – your comment gives us a taste for the pull of Zionism before the state.
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“Klal Yisroel will then enter the Livyoson fish and start grabbing bites out of its walls. the huge feast has started! ”
Insider, there is an end time biblical prediction right there!
Sushi mania!
Sombody needs to notify the Kiruv monkeys.
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Indeed, YTE was my favorite Yiddish composer, poet and lyricist. As a young boy, on those dark and cold evenings, I would crawl up to the radiator, one ear pressed to “my” black Shoebox cassette player, listening to YTE’s recordings with its poor acoustical quality, yet rich artistic content. Oh,those were the days, my friend, we thought would never end. And to quote YTE:
דער גליקלאכער אמאל,
אין דעם קליינעם טאל,
וועל איך אלעמאל,
געדענקען,
דער גליקלאכער אמאל,
זכרונות אן א צאל,
וואס מאכן אלעמאל,
מיר בענקען,
א טיש א בענקל, א לאמפ מיט א שענקל,
דאס אלעס דורכאויס,
און ווי היכל, געלעגן א שמייכל,
איז אויף יעדן הויז,
דער גליקלאכער אמאל,
אין דעם קליינעם טאל,
וועל איך אלעמאל,
געדענקען.
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Today a composer would not dar include this in a song:
איך האב אמאל געהאט א פרוי
אן ערליכע גיווען אזוי
אירע יארן טאג און נאכט
פון זיך נישט געטראכט
…
איינמאל איז דער טאג געקומען
און מען האט איר צוגענומען
אוועק איז איר נשמה אין דער הויך
און איך בין געבליבן איינער
טרייסטן ניט געקומען קיינער
און איך האב געוואלט גיין מיט איר אויך
איך האב ניט געקאנט פערגעסן
נישט געשלאפן ניט געגעסן
אויסגעדארט געווארן הויט און ביין
און אין ערגעץ ניט געגאנגען
און צוביסלאך אויסגעגאנגען
איך האב נישט געוואלט מער זיין אליין
It has become taboo to discuss even such abstract feelings towards a woman. Women are special because they’re mothers, yidishe mames.
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Yoilish, I havnt thought of that song, “der glicklecher amol” for years.
Thank you for that memory.
The second song you mentioned, I never heard. Which tape was it on.
How about the song of shloma hamelech’s beautiful daughter and her poor peasant lover?
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Gosh, Yoelish, that does bring memories. Although I preferred his upbeat songs. Or at least where the tune was upbeat. Amazing how he managed humor and wit amidst the mostly depressing stuff on Chevlei Moshiach. ‘A Gries Eich Fun di Shtetelach’, ‘Zeiden’s Tantz,’ ‘Frozner Esholan’.
And of course, the unforgettable ‘tzimblen’. ‘Oy vet men eich dorten tzimblen.’ Never heard such a cheerful song about getting beaten.
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“And one, somewhat daring song about a future utopia, שיר השלום, which, when you think about it, is really pretty prosaic.”
The tune is “My Melody of Love”, made popular in the mid ’70s by Bobby Vinton. I don’t know if MBD claims credit for the words, which may well be Israeli and coming out of the then fresh Yom Kippur war.
MBD’s brother in law, Ari Klein, recorded same tune about the same time with words “Mi ha ish hahafetz hayyim”.
Shelly Lang did the tune to the words “Shalom al Israel”.
Being older than you has its benfits.
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Although this discussion gives me flashbacks of pimpled navy blue tights jumping in the rut with grubby hands clenched firmly on the neiseleh in a happy ya-tata-te, I still don’t know the meaning of many of the songs I can recite by heart. (Ah, what nostalgia!) I read up on Yom Tov Erlich on his Wikipedia page (a stub; needs a workup) in a recent fit of curiosity and was surprised to learn that shluf mein kind was not simply a sweet bedtime lullaby for the kinderlech of Viliamsburg. I never understood the plot or point of his songs. The few pieces I did grasp were only to the credit of my mother’s Yiddish-to-Yiddish translation. Yom Tov Erlich’s songs were endangered from the git-go because his dialect is not the dialect of chassidim. Even if a parent were to try to keep his music alive, the language barrier makes it impossible. (As is Leibel Veinstock’s work, another star from the past unn… he is now very much forgotten.)
On a note of R’ Yontel’s background, this possibly treif biographical tidbit surprised me: “Rabbi Yom Tov got ready to return to Poland. Then the Communist Information Bureau contacted him with the suggestion that he start up an artistic program to glorify Communism. The idea was to establish a troupe that would travel with the train to Poland and put on shows during the journey both in the ashlon and at the interim stations. Rabbi Yom Tov agreed to the proposal and decided that the troupe would be composed of as many Jews as possible—and specifically of Russian nationality—who would be disguised as professional artists.”
Perhaps that was then — the holocaust generation. By contemporary standards for chasidish musicians this is outrageous. And I wonder why I never heard he performed for the Soviet Union before. Censored?
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Although this discussion gives me flashbacks of pimpled navy blue tights jumping in the rut with grubby hands clenched firmly on the neiseleh in a happy ya-tata-te, I still don’t know the meaning of many of the songs I can recite by heart. (Ah, what nostalgia!) I read up on Yom Tov Erlich on his Wikipedia page (a stub; needs a workup) in a recent fit of curiosity and was surprised to learn that shluf mein kind was not simply a sweet bedtime lullaby for the kinderlech of Viliamsburg. I never understood the plot or point of his songs. The few pieces I did grasp were only to the credit of my mother’s Yiddish-to-Yiddish translation. Yom Tov Erlich’s songs were endangered from the git-go because his dialect is not the dialect of chassidim. Even if a parent were to try to keep his music alive, the language barrier makes it impossible. (As is Leibel Veinstock’s work, another star from the past unn… he is now very much forgotten.)
On a note of R’ Yontel’s background, this possibly treif biographical tidbit surprised me: “Rabbi Yom Tov got ready to return to Poland. Then the Communist Information Bureau contacted him with the suggestion that he start up an artistic program to glorify Communism. The idea was to establish a troupe that would travel with the train to Poland and put on shows during the journey both in the ashlon and at the interim stations. Rabbi Yom Tov agreed to the proposal and decided that the troupe would be composed of as many Jews as possible—and specifically of Russian nationality—who would be disguised as professional artists.”
Perhaps that was then — the holocaust generation. By contemporary standards for chasidish musicians this is outrageous. And I wonder why I never heard he performed for the Soviet Union before. Censored?
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Hm. Better.
Well, now I’ve got two of the damn comments here. Marbim B’simcha.
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Shpitz.
Wienstock was the best. “Uhn m’ken heren vie die yevunim tzibrechen die keylim fin die bais hamikdush”- forks and pots collide than they get thrown on the kitchen floor. What ingenuity, what sound effects!!
This is how goyim shiker.”Reh reh reh reh….gimmer nuch abisele vien”…
Paaaaroy nechey= die hinkedige paaaaroy. How can one forget Antiyoiches’s shilshul. Priceless!
I can go on like this forever.
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Shpitz
“flashbacks of pimpled navy blue tights jumping in the rut with grubby hands clenched firmly on the neiseleh in a happy ya-tata-te”- made my night. Very funny! Kudos!
I have a similar impression in regarding YTE. We had one of his tapes, and we (the kids) never liked it. His lyrics were too complicated for us to understand and appreciate, his tunes seemed outdated compared to the contemporary chasiddish music available at the time, and the dialect barrier was wide, but with Wienstock, amazingly, I understood every word. It’s amazing from the perspective that they both spoke the same dialect. I guess it’s easier to understand a different spoken dialect than an unfamiliar melodious dialect.
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Shpitz:
I can relate, as a small kid I never fully understood his accent but the ‘ya-tata-te’and Ver hut tzibruchen the vinda? Hinda! It was annoying to us kids. All I remember now is Yom Tov Ehrlich disappeared one green Wednesday and Yonasan Schwartz replaced him and I understood his songs.
The biography you quoted is interesting, where can I read it?
R&C:
Ha ha you turned my clock back 20 years, ”Reh reh reh reh… gimmer nuch abisele vien”… I remember now loving this as a very small child.
And Shpitz your duplicate comment pushed me one above the Faking it on the most commented posts. Now there’s no need to fake it anymore
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Ruptch,
You had me at rararara [-ahh…].How could I have forgotten? What laughs. Ach, dus iz dee endeh fin der tzeit.
I doubt the difference is in YTE being a melody. It’s probably in the target audience. YTE is oriented for all ages, more often adults. On the other hand, Weinstock not only spoke to the children, like you noted, he even used his fleshing dishes to elucidate the story, like the wooden spoons that doubled as horses. (Gevald, dee Yevunim kimin!)
Thinking back, it seems there’s a pattern of the third-person pronoun in Yiddish like איר. אייך that denote politeness or formality, slipping out of today’s Yiddish dialect. Entertainers of our day – us rocking-chair seniors of reminiscing authority – used these pronouns only, but not today. There is no equivalent in English. Can we speculate it will disappear altogether?
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Thank you! Someone appreciates my botchups. Here, bumping you up some more, R’ Velevele.
http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5765/massei/MSI65features3.htm
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Good question Shpitz, where is Max Weinreich when you need him?
I don’t think it’s completely slipping out. I still use the third person pronoun when speaking to figures of authority or respect. I think the third person pronoun was always reserved for restrained and formal talk; colloquially it was never used much. But you’re right that it used to be a lot more prevalent in the jargon; at least in terms of performers using it.
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Shpitz:
‘dus iz dee endeh fin der zeit driet iber vet ir vieter hern’
Makes me fall asleep like a 6 year old child again.
Thanks for the link. Beautiful biography.
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Shpizel you had your own personalized song on YTE’s Shema Beni tape.
“Itzel shpizel viest nisht vie,
”
Men darf oifshtien in der frie
Kimt die baabe in zi shriet,
Itzel pizel se’iz shoin tziet!
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As for not understanding his lyrics, when I was a young child, I didn’t either.
On Shema Benie, there is this story of a boy who comes home and finds his TV replaced by a seforim shank.
“In en mol, in an ovent shein,
Zelig kimt ahaim tzie gien,
Zet er anshtots di televisia set,….
A shas a gemoreh…
YTE’s tone at that point becomes very depressing and morbid, and to my 4-6 year old brain, the televisia set was a scary freaky animal. A black bear, to be exact.
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HT.
You little rascal, how did you know at 4 what a televizie is? I still think that TV antennas are “lightning catchers” (blitz choppers).
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RnC,
I did NOT know.
Read again. I thought it was a huge black bear. terrifying.
Perhaps YTE was well versed in behavioral psychology, and knew a thing or two about aversive conditioning.
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I didn’t even know how it looks to ascribe monstrous characteristics to it. Did you have a PR shuchen in de projects?
Yeah, I once heard that he was a radical sworn Skinnerian.
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“Yeah, I once heard that he was a radical sworn Skinnerian.”
I highly doubt that. He was way to creative.
Youngerian psychology must have been his thing.
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HT
I don’t know how to use emoticons; that comment was obviously supposed to come with a wink. He was a freakin Stoliner chusid. I don’t think Stolin ideology is any way related to classical conditioning or to analytical psychology for that matter.
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I don’t know how to use emoticons; that comment was obviously supposed to come with a wink.
I got that. Didnt think you were serious.
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Hoezen, you’re a nachas! Cyber-karaoke at its best. I’d be dammed if your musical talent remains confined to the web. You’re the next big thing.
Note to Rupture: A semicolon and a closing parenthesis. The angels at the Control Center Headquarters will wink right back.
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Thanks Itzel
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Yup it works.
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Hey Shpizel, how did you guess?
Though I am not the next big musical thing(kol beishe erve, nu, nu,) my genes are
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