Shlepn, Shulamit Seidler-Feller
Shlepn - שלעפן
Shlepn - שלעפן \SHLEP-en\ Verb \ Past Participle: Geshlept:
To drag, haul, carry, lug, tug, pull, draw (with reflexive zikh [זיך] - to trudge, plod along).
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: shepn (שעפן), tsien (ציען), tsupn (צופן).
German equivalents: fördern, schleifen, tragen, zerren, ziehen.
Etymology: The word derives from Middle High German “sleppen,” related to Old High German “sleifen, slifan” (to slide, drag). Cognates include Dutch “slepen,” Middle English “slippen,” Modern (American) English “to schlep,” New High German “schleppen,”Norwegian “slepe,” and Swedish “släpa.”
Derivatives of shlepn: avekshlepn (אוועקשלעפן) - to drag away; dershlepn zikh (דערשלעפן זיך) - to arrive with difficulty; farshlepn (פארשלעפן) - to drag along, protract; farshlepn zikh(פארשלעפן זיך) - to be protracted; nokhshlepn zikh (נאכשלעפן זיך) - to trail after; shleper(שלעפער) - a poorly dressed person, tramp, vagabond, hobo, vagrant (for more on theshleper, see Wex); nokhshleper (נאכשלעפער) - a hanger-on, unwanted fellow (for more on the nokhshleper, see Blech); shlep (שלעפ) - a pull, jerk, the train of a dress; shleperay(שלעפעריי) - vagrancy; shlep-khaye (שלעפ-חיה) - a beat of burden; shlep-kleyd (שלעפ-קלייד) - a dress with a train; shlepkraft (שלעפקראפט) - (aeronautic) drag, pulling power; shlepnets(שלעפנעץ) - a dredge; shlepoyto (שלעפאויטא) - a tow truck; shleppost (שלעפפאסט) - snail mail; farshlept (פארשלעפט) - drawn-out, long, chronic.
Phrases with shlepn: a shlep ton (א שלעפ טאן) - to jerk, yank; nokhshlepn zikh nokh(נאכשלעפן זיך נאך) - to trail after; shlepn far der tsung (שלעפן פאר דער צונג) - to draw the words out of (someone; lit., to tug at the tongue); shlepn di ku oyfn boydem aroyf (שלעפן די קו אויפן בוידעם ארויף) - to do things in a roundabout (lit., to drag the cow onto the roof [where the hay is drying, rather than carry the hay down to where the cow is]); shlepn mit di fis (שלעפן מיט די פיס) - to stagger (lit., to drag one’s feet); shlepn zikh arum vi a Yid oyf di Nayn Teg (שלעפן זיך ארום ווי א ייד אויף די ניין טעג) - to be downcast (lit., to drag oneself around like a Jew during the Nine Days); a farshlepte krenk (א פארשלעפטע קרענק) - a chronic ailment (sometimes used to describe nasty people or situations as well).
Expressions with shlepn:
1. A gutn shlepn di hint avek (א גוטן שלעפן די הינט אוועק) - Nice guys finish last (lit., Dogs carry a good person away).
2. Az men leygt zikh in klayen, shlepn avek di khazeyrem (אז מען לייגט זיך אין קלייען, שלעפן אוועק די חזירים) - He who lies with dogs gets up with flees (lit., When you lie in bran, pigs drag you away).
3. Mit vos eyner handlt shlept zikh es im nokh (מיט וואס איינער האנדלט שלעפט זיך עס אים נאך) - Whatever you deal with leaves telltale signs (lit., drags after you).
4. A Yid shlept di goles (א ייד שלעפט די גלות) - A Jew drags the exile (an expression which reflects the pain Jews suffered throughout their long history).
5. Nokh dem oreman shlept zikh der shlimazl/dales (נאך דעם ארעמאן שלעפט זיך דער שלימזל/דלות) - Misfortune/Poverty dogs (lit., drags after) the pauper.
6. Ver a betler eyder a shleper (ווער א בעטלער איידער א שלעפער) - Rather become a beggar than a vagrant. Similarly, Zay nisht keyn shleper, nor a betler (זיי נישט קיין שלעפער, נאר א בעטלער) - ibid.
7. A keml trinkt men on mit vaser eyder er shlept di mase (א קעמל טרינקט מען אן מיט וואסער איידער ער שלעפט די משא) - You water a camel before it drags its burden.
8. A mentsh ken oyf zikh mer dertrogn eyder tsen oksn kenen dershlepn (א מענטש קען אויף זיך מער דערטראגן איידער צען אקסן קענען דערשלעפן) - A person can bear more [sorrows, troubles, responsibilities, etc.] than ten oxen can drag.
9. Dos ershte vayb shlept dem vogn, dos tsveyte rayt oyfn zotl (דאס ערשטע ווייב שלעפט דעם וואגן, דאס צווייטע רייט אויפן זאטל) - lit., The first wife pulls the wagon, the second wife sits in the saddle (i.e. after realizing why his first marriage fell apart - because he put his wife to work all the time - a man will make sure to seat his second wife in the lap of luxury).
10. Iber di hayzer zolstu zikh shlepn mit kindskinder oyf doyrey doyres! (איבער די הייזער זאלסטו זיך שלעפן מיט קינדסקינדער אויף דורי דורות) - May you go begging from door to door with your descendants for many generations!
11. Aroysshlepn zol men im di kishkes fun boykh un arumviklen zey ibern haldz!(ארויסשלעפן זאל מען אים די קישקעס פון בויך און ארומוויקלען זיי איבערן האלדז) - May his guts be torn out of his belly and wrapped around his neck!
Shlepn in East European and American Jewish culture:
1. Because so many Eastern European Jews lived in desperately poor conditions, begging became a way of life. As such, and as pointed out by the YIVO Encyclopedia article on Beggars and Begging, the shleper became a prominent figure in that society.
2. One of the Yiddish names for the game “Blind Man’s Buff” is ”Shlepe-bobe” (another is “Blinde ku”), but although it looks like it’s related to the Germanic shlepn, it in fact derives from Polish “Slepa Baba.”
3. The common phrase shepn nakhes (שעפן נחת) - lit., to scoop up satisfaction - was often misheard by some Yiddish speakers as shlepn nakhes (שלעפן נחת) - lit., to drag satisfaction. Philologos thoroughly investigates what he sees as the true origins of this phrase and mix-up here.
4. As quoted by Gold, shlepn seems to have entered American English as “schlep” some time in the ’20s and ’30s, when Yiddish-speaking Jews became very prominent in the garment and jewelry businesses.
1. A gutn shlepn di hint avek (א גוטן שלעפן די הינט אוועק) - Nice guys finish last (lit., Dogs carry a good person away).
2. Az men leygt zikh in klayen, shlepn avek di khazeyrem (אז מען לייגט זיך אין קלייען, שלעפן אוועק די חזירים) - He who lies with dogs gets up with flees (lit., When you lie in bran, pigs drag you away).
3. Mit vos eyner handlt shlept zikh es im nokh (מיט וואס איינער האנדלט שלעפט זיך עס אים נאך) - Whatever you deal with leaves telltale signs (lit., drags after you).
4. A Yid shlept di goles (א ייד שלעפט די גלות) - A Jew drags the exile (an expression which reflects the pain Jews suffered throughout their long history).
5. Nokh dem oreman shlept zikh der shlimazl/dales (נאך דעם ארעמאן שלעפט זיך דער שלימזל/דלות) - Misfortune/Poverty dogs (lit., drags after) the pauper.
6. Ver a betler eyder a shleper (ווער א בעטלער איידער א שלעפער) - Rather become a beggar than a vagrant. Similarly, Zay nisht keyn shleper, nor a betler (זיי נישט קיין שלעפער, נאר א בעטלער) - ibid.
7. A keml trinkt men on mit vaser eyder er shlept di mase (א קעמל טרינקט מען אן מיט וואסער איידער ער שלעפט די משא) - You water a camel before it drags its burden.
8. A mentsh ken oyf zikh mer dertrogn eyder tsen oksn kenen dershlepn (א מענטש קען אויף זיך מער דערטראגן איידער צען אקסן קענען דערשלעפן) - A person can bear more [sorrows, troubles, responsibilities, etc.] than ten oxen can drag.
9. Dos ershte vayb shlept dem vogn, dos tsveyte rayt oyfn zotl (דאס ערשטע ווייב שלעפט דעם וואגן, דאס צווייטע רייט אויפן זאטל) - lit., The first wife pulls the wagon, the second wife sits in the saddle (i.e. after realizing why his first marriage fell apart - because he put his wife to work all the time - a man will make sure to seat his second wife in the lap of luxury).
10. Iber di hayzer zolstu zikh shlepn mit kindskinder oyf doyrey doyres! (איבער די הייזער זאלסטו זיך שלעפן מיט קינדסקינדער אויף דורי דורות) - May you go begging from door to door with your descendants for many generations!
11. Aroysshlepn zol men im di kishkes fun boykh un arumviklen zey ibern haldz!(ארויסשלעפן זאל מען אים די קישקעס פון בויך און ארומוויקלען זיי איבערן האלדז) - May his guts be torn out of his belly and wrapped around his neck!
Shlepn in East European and American Jewish culture:
1. Because so many Eastern European Jews lived in desperately poor conditions, begging became a way of life. As such, and as pointed out by the YIVO Encyclopedia article on Beggars and Begging, the shleper became a prominent figure in that society.
2. One of the Yiddish names for the game “Blind Man’s Buff” is ”Shlepe-bobe” (another is “Blinde ku”), but although it looks like it’s related to the Germanic shlepn, it in fact derives from Polish “Slepa Baba.”
3. The common phrase shepn nakhes (שעפן נחת) - lit., to scoop up satisfaction - was often misheard by some Yiddish speakers as shlepn nakhes (שלעפן נחת) - lit., to drag satisfaction. Philologos thoroughly investigates what he sees as the true origins of this phrase and mix-up here.
4. As quoted by Gold, shlepn seems to have entered American English as “schlep” some time in the ’20s and ’30s, when Yiddish-speaking Jews became very prominent in the garment and jewelry businesses.
Shlepn in a sentence: Afile az es zaynen do nor tsvey vokhn biz dem shul-yor farendikt zikh, es shlept zikh di tsayt (אפילו אז עס זיינען דא נאר צוויי וואכן ביז דעם שול-יאר פארענדיקט זיך, עס שלעפט זיך די צייט) - Even when there are only two weeks left until the school year ends, time crawls.
Use shlepn in your own sentence today!
Index to Yiddish Periodicals
For those interested, the Index to Yiddish Periodicals, an ongoing project of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Beth Shalom Aleichem (Tel-Aviv), is a fabulous resource for those who wish to investigate the wealth of Yiddish periodical literature published in Europe, America, and Israel (Palestine) in the years before and after the Second World War. It comprises approximately 210,000 (!) bibliographic records from about 800 different Yiddish periodicals and can be searched by author, title, source, date, genre, or subject. The website contains a list of the many publications that have been indexed so far, and because the work continues, you should check back often to see what else has been added!
In addition, an article published a little while back by Steven Heller in Imprint, an online design magazine, reports on the digitization, by the New York Public Library, of its ephemera collections, including many fascinating Yiddish theater announcements, posters, and placards. There’s some really cool stuff there, and you can get lost in all the material they have.
What does the graffiti on the wall say in the pix included with the word "teylin"?
AnonymousThe graffiti says Yehudi eino Tsiyyoni (יהודי אינו ציוני) - a Jew is not a Zionist - a warning (presumably by anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Jews) meant to prevent people from equating Jews with Zionists and Judaism with Zionism.
Teyln - טיילן
Teyln - טיילן \TEYL-en\ Verb \ Past Participle Geteylt:
To divide, apportion (with reflexive zikh [זיך] - to be divided, be divisible).
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: tsefirn (צעפירן), tsepitslen (צעפיצלען), tsesheydn (צעשיידן).
German equivalents: dividieren, scheiden, spalten, teilen, trennen.
Etymology: The word derives from Middle High German “teilen,” from Old High German “teilen” (originally “dēlen), itself from Proto-Germanic *dailijanan (to divide, part, deal) and Proto-Indo-European *dʰail- (part, watershed) before it. Cognates include Afrikaans “deel,” Baltic *daili-, Danish “dele,” Dutch “delen,” Faroese “deila,”Gothic dailjan, Icelandic “deila,” Lithuanian “dalinti,” Middle English “delen,” Modern English “deal,” New High German “teilen,” Norwegian “dele,” Old Dutch “deilen, dēlen,” Old English “dælan,” Old Frisian “dēla,” Old Norse “deila,” Old Saxon “dēljan,”Old Swedish “dēla,” Russian delít’, Swedish “dela,” and West Frisian “diele.”
Derivatives of teyln: aynteyln (איינטיילן) - to divide, partition, allot; bateylikn zikh(באטייליקן זיך) - to participate in, take part in, be a party to; bateyln (באטיילן) - to hand out to, confer upon; farteyln (פארטיילן) - to distribute; farurtlen (פאראורטלען) - to sentence, doom; oysteyln (אויסטיילן) - to dispense, distribute, hand out, farm out, confer, specify, cite, single out, distinguish, set off; opteyln (אפטיילן) - to detach, separate; tseteyln (צעטיילן) - to divide, separate (transitive); tsetetyln zikh (צעטיילן זיך) - to divide (intransitive); tsuteyln (צוטיילן) - to accord, award, grant, allot, assign, appropriate, allocate; unterteyln (אונטערטיילן) - to subdivide; bateylikter (באטייליקטער) - a participant; teylnemer (טיילנעמער) or onteyl-nemer (אנטייל-נעמער) - a participant;bashtandteyl (באשטאנדטייל) - a component; bateylikung (באטייליקונג) or onteyl (אנטייל) - participation; brukhteyl (ברוכטייל) - a fraction; halbteyl (האלבטייל) - a half portion;farurtlung (פאראורטלונג) - sentencing, condemnation; forurtl (פאראורטל) - a prejudice, bias; hoyptteyl (הויפטטייל) oriker teyl (עיקר טייל) - the main part; opteyl (אפטייל) - asection, compartment, department, division, squad, detachment; opteylung (אפטיילונג) - a department, section; oysteylung (אויסטיילונג) - distribution, specification; teyl (טייל) or aynteyl (איינטייל) - a part, division; teylekh (טיילעך) - a small part;teyler (טיילער) - a denominator; teylkhl (טיילכל) - a particle; teyl-tseykhn (טייל-צייכן) - a division sign;teylung (טיילונג) - division (math); teylzats (טיילזאץ) - a clause; tseteylung (צעטיילונג) oraynteylung (איינטיילונג) - (the act of) division, partition; tseteyltkeyt (צעטיילטקייט) - (the state of) separation, division; tsuteylung (צוטיילונג) - allocation, appropriation; urtl(אורטל) - a sentence (in court); veltteyl (וועלטטייל) - a part of the world; oysteylik(אויסטייליק) - distinctive; teylik (טייליק) or teylevdik (טיילעוודיק) or tseteylevdik(צעטיילעוודיק) - divisible; teylmolik (טיילמאליק) - occasional; teyltsaytik (טיילצייטיק) - part-time;teylvayz (טיילווייז) - partial; umteylevdik (אומטיילעוודיק) - indivisible; merstnteyl(מערסטנטייל) or meynstnteyl (מיינסטנטייל) - for the most part; teylmol (טיילמאל) - sometimes; teylvayz (טיילווייז) - partly.
Phrases with teyln: hobn a forurtl (האבן א פאראורטל) - to be prejudiced; onteyl nemen(אנטייל נעמען) or nemen an onteyl (נעמען אן אנטייל) - to take part, partake, participate in;oysteyln zikh mit (אויסטיילן זיך מיט) - to be distinctive, outstanding, distinguished; teyln a sod mit (טיילן א סוד מיט) - to share a secret with; teyln dem goyrl mit (טיילן דעם גורל מיט) - to share one’s fate with;teyln dem untersheyd (טיילן דעם אונטערשייד) - to split the difference; teyln leydn un freydn (טיילן ליידן און פריידן) - to be friends through thick and thin (lit., to share pain and happiness);teyln zikh mitn bisn (טיילן זיך מיטן ביסן) - to share punishment with (lit., to split the bite with); tseteyln di roles (צעטיילן די ראלעס) - to give out the roles; tseteyln zikh mit (צעטיילן זיך מיט) - to divide amongst each other;zayn a teyl fun (זיין א טייל פון) - to be a part of; a teyl (א טייל) - some; intensiver opteyl(אינטענסיווער אפטייל) - an intensive care unit; mindster, shutfisher teyler (מינדסטער, שותפישער טיילער) - the least common denominator; nisht optsuteyln fun (נישט אפצוטיילן פון) - inseparable, part and parcel of; on forurtlen (אן פאראורטלען) - unbiased; geteylt oyf(געטיילט אויף) - divided by (math); tsum teyl (צום טייל) - in part, partly.
Expressions with teyln:
1. Hofn un harn makht teylmol tsum narn (האפן און הארן מאכט טיילמאל צום נארן) - If you wait too long, you’ll lose out (lit., Hoping and waiting sometimes makes you into a fool).
2. Yoysher iz afile bay ganovim ven zey teyln zikh (יושר איז אפילו ביי גנבים ווען זיי טיילן זיך) - Honesty is invoked even among thieves when they divide [the spoils].
3. Er teylt zikh mit dem ber nokh eyder er iz gefangen (ער טיילט זיך מיט דעם בער נאך איידער ער איז געפאנגען) - He counts his chickens before they hatch (lit., He divides up the bear[’s pelt] even before it’s caught).
4. Az Got hot geteylt dem seykhl, bistu geshlofn (אז גאט האט געטיילט דעם שכל, ביסטו געשלאפן) - When God apportioned common sense, you were sleeping.
5. Der vos barimt zikh mit zayn yikhes iz glaykh tsu a bulbe - di beste teyl ligt in dr’erd (דער וואס בארימט זיך מיט זיין ייחוס איז גלייך צו א בולבע - די בעסטע טייל ליגט אין דר’ערד) - He who boasts of his ancestry is comparable to a potato - the best part lies underground.
1. Hofn un harn makht teylmol tsum narn (האפן און הארן מאכט טיילמאל צום נארן) - If you wait too long, you’ll lose out (lit., Hoping and waiting sometimes makes you into a fool).
2. Yoysher iz afile bay ganovim ven zey teyln zikh (יושר איז אפילו ביי גנבים ווען זיי טיילן זיך) - Honesty is invoked even among thieves when they divide [the spoils].
3. Er teylt zikh mit dem ber nokh eyder er iz gefangen (ער טיילט זיך מיט דעם בער נאך איידער ער איז געפאנגען) - He counts his chickens before they hatch (lit., He divides up the bear[’s pelt] even before it’s caught).
4. Az Got hot geteylt dem seykhl, bistu geshlofn (אז גאט האט געטיילט דעם שכל, ביסטו געשלאפן) - When God apportioned common sense, you were sleeping.
5. Der vos barimt zikh mit zayn yikhes iz glaykh tsu a bulbe - di beste teyl ligt in dr’erd (דער וואס בארימט זיך מיט זיין ייחוס איז גלייך צו א בולבע - די בעסטע טייל ליגט אין דר’ערד) - He who boasts of his ancestry is comparable to a potato - the best part lies underground.
Teyln in a sentence: A teyl fun di Khsidishe Yidn in Vilyamsburg hobn lib tsu tseteyln dem shem “Yid” fun dem shem “Tsiyonist” makhmes politishe un religyeze sibes (א טייל פון די חסידישע יידן אין וויליאמסבורג האבן ליב צו צעטיילן דעם שם “ייד” פון דעם שם “ציוניסט” מחמת פאליטישע און רעליגיעזע סיבות) - Some of the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg like to separate the categories of “Jew” and “Zionist” from one another for political and religious reasons [see the photos above and attached; the graffiti reads: Yehudi eino Tsiyyoni (יהודי אין ציוני) - A Jew is not a Zionist].
Use teyln in your own sentence today!
Archives of Historical and Ethnographic Yiddish Memories
For those interested, the Archives of Historical and Ethnographic Yiddish Memories(AHEYM - “homeward” in Yiddish) is an oral history research project of Indiana University Profs. Dov-Ber Kerler and Jeffrey Veidlinger which seeks to record for posterity the memories and legacies of Yiddish-speaking Jews who remained in Europe after the War. From 2002-2010, Kerler and Veidlinger traveled across five Eastern European countries - Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia - to conduct about 900 hours’ worth of interviews with approximately 350 survivors in their home environments, discussing with them Jewish folkways, customs, religious practices, cuisine, and memories from life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The website contains samples of video interviews with these fascinating European Jews and is connected with a blog, managed by Project Manager Dr. Asya Vaisman, which also posts content from these interviews on a regular basis.
And now, just for fun: check out “Yiddish: The Living Language of the Jewish People,” a 2008 article by Rokhl Kafrissen disputing the common claim that the Yiddish language is “dead” and stressing its importance in contemporary Jewish life; thisWikipedia article on a contemporary English-language (and also Hebrew-language) phenomenon known as Shm-reduplication (“money, shmoney”), which, as you might have intuited, actually traces its history back to Yiddish-speaking Jews in America; and a recently-published Haaretz article about a new tour of Tel Aviv’s Yiddish cultural scene (h/t Larry Weinman).
Reynikn - רייניקן
Reynikn - רייניקן \REYN-ik-en\ Verb \ Past Participle Gereynikt:
To clean, cleanse, purify.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation, and here for its use specifically in the context of Peysekh cleaning.
Synonyms: klern (קלערן), laytern (לייטערן), noki(נקי), putsn (פוצן), ramen (ראמען).
German equivalents: frischen, läutern, putzen, räumen, reinigen, säubern.
Etymology: What follows is an etymology of Yiddish reyn (ריין) - clean - from which the verb derives:
Reyn comes from Middle High German “reine,” from Old High German “reini, hreini,” itself from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz, which is actually a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European *(s)keri-. Cognates include Danish “ren,” Dutch “rein,”Faroese “reinur,” Gothic hrains, Icelandic “hreinn,” Middle Dutch “rene, reine,” New High German “rein,” North Frisian “rian,” Norwegian “rein,” Old Dutch “reini, rēni,”Old Frisian: “hrēne, rēne,” Old Icelandic “hreinn,” Old Irish “criathar,” Old Norse “hreinn,” Old Saxon “hreni,” Swedish “ren.” Apparently, the word originally had the sense of “winnowed, sifted.”
Reyn comes from Middle High German “reine,” from Old High German “reini, hreini,” itself from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz, which is actually a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European *(s)keri-. Cognates include Danish “ren,” Dutch “rein,”Faroese “reinur,” Gothic hrains, Icelandic “hreinn,” Middle Dutch “rene, reine,” New High German “rein,” North Frisian “rian,” Norwegian “rein,” Old Dutch “reini, rēni,”Old Frisian: “hrēne, rēne,” Old Icelandic “hreinn,” Old Irish “criathar,” Old Norse “hreinn,” Old Saxon “hreni,” Swedish “ren.” Apparently, the word originally had the sense of “winnowed, sifted.”
Derivatives of reynikn: farumreynikn (פאראומרייניקן) - to taint, dirty; khemish reynikn(כעמיש רייניקן) - to dry clean (lit., to clean chemically); opreynikn (אפרייניקן) oroysreynikn (אויסרייניקן) - to clean, clear, purge; reynvashn (ריינוואשן) - to absolve, exonerate (lit., to wash clean); opreynik-aktsye (אפרייניק-אקציע) - a mopping-up;reynkeyt (ריינקייט) or reyntlekhkeyt (ריינטלעכקייט) - purity, cleanliness; reynikeyt(רייניקייט) - a Torah scroll; reynikung (רייניקונג) - a cleaning, sanitation, purification,purge, liquidation; reynik-mitl (רייניק-מיטל) - a cleaning fluid; umreynkeyt (אומריינקייט) - impurity, uncleanliness; umreyns (אומריינס) - impurity, impurities; reyn (ריין) orreyntlekh (ריינטלעך) - pure, clean, blank, innocent; reynblutik (ריינבלוטיק) - thoroughbred; reynhartsik (ריינהארציק) - sincere, heartfelt; umreyn (אומריין) - impure, dirty, unclean, foul.
I wasn’t able to find a clear explanation for how the term reynikeyt came to refer to a Torah scroll, but I guess it’s intuitive: the Torah is considered to be pure and holy, and so it came to be called by a name meaning “pure.” The irony, of course, is that the rabbis of the Mishnah famously decreed that Torah scrolls (and other scrolls of the books of the Bible) actually make your hands (and some other items) ritually impure; see mKelim 15:6 and various passages in chapters 3 and 4 of mYadayim, especially 4:6. Weinreich notes that reynikeyt seems to have been used more in speech than in writing, with the Hebrew-derived seyfer Toyre (ספר תורה) predominating in the latter area.
Phrases with reynikn:
1. zogn dem reynem emes (זאגן דעם ריינעם אמת) - to tell it like it is (lit., to tell the pure truth)
2.dos reyne ort (דאס ריינע ארט) - a cemetery (lit., the place of purity)
3.reyne hent (ריינע הענט) - clean hands (i.e. those that have not taken bribes)
4. a sheyne, reyne kapore (א שיינע, ריינע כפרה) - good riddance (lit., a handsome, pure kapore - the rooster many observant Jews wave around their heads three times on the eve of Yom Kippur and then slaughter as penance for their sins; seeWex for more)
5. an arbet a reyne un a parnose a sheyne (אן ארבעט א ריינע און א פרנסה א שיינע) - a pure (i.e. honest) business and a beautiful (i.e. comfortable) living [too!].
Comparisons with reynikn:
reyn vi der tog; vi di zun; vi gold; vi a shpigl; vi gloz; vi krishtol; vi di menoyre; vi vaser; vi shney; vi flam fayer; vi erev-Peysekh; vi a Peysekhdike shtub; vi a getoyvlter; vi nokh seu-yedeykhem (ריין ווי דער טאג; ווי די זון; ווי גאלד; ווי א שפיגל; ווי גלאז; ווי קריסטאל; ווי די מנורה; ווי וואסער; ווי שניי; ווי פלאם פייער; ווי ערב-פסח; ווי א פסחדיקע שטוב; ווי א געטובלטער; ווי נאך שאו-ידכם) - as clean/clear/pure as the day; as the sun; as gold; as a mirror; as glass; as crystal; as the [clear light of the] Menorah; as water; as snow; as the flame of a fire; as on the eve of Passover; as a house prepared for Passover; as a person who has gone to the ritual bath (mikveh); as after one has ritually washed one’s hands (lit., as after “lift up your hands” - a phrase from Tehillim 134:2 often recited accompanying the ritual washing of hands).
1. zogn dem reynem emes (זאגן דעם ריינעם אמת) - to tell it like it is (lit., to tell the pure truth)
2.dos reyne ort (דאס ריינע ארט) - a cemetery (lit., the place of purity)
3.reyne hent (ריינע הענט) - clean hands (i.e. those that have not taken bribes)
4. a sheyne, reyne kapore (א שיינע, ריינע כפרה) - good riddance (lit., a handsome, pure kapore - the rooster many observant Jews wave around their heads three times on the eve of Yom Kippur and then slaughter as penance for their sins; seeWex for more)
5. an arbet a reyne un a parnose a sheyne (אן ארבעט א ריינע און א פרנסה א שיינע) - a pure (i.e. honest) business and a beautiful (i.e. comfortable) living [too!].
Comparisons with reynikn:
reyn vi der tog; vi di zun; vi gold; vi a shpigl; vi gloz; vi krishtol; vi di menoyre; vi vaser; vi shney; vi flam fayer; vi erev-Peysekh; vi a Peysekhdike shtub; vi a getoyvlter; vi nokh seu-yedeykhem (ריין ווי דער טאג; ווי די זון; ווי גאלד; ווי א שפיגל; ווי גלאז; ווי קריסטאל; ווי די מנורה; ווי וואסער; ווי שניי; ווי פלאם פייער; ווי ערב-פסח; ווי א פסחדיקע שטוב; ווי א געטובלטער; ווי נאך שאו-ידכם) - as clean/clear/pure as the day; as the sun; as gold; as a mirror; as glass; as crystal; as the [clear light of the] Menorah; as water; as snow; as the flame of a fire; as on the eve of Passover; as a house prepared for Passover; as a person who has gone to the ritual bath (mikveh); as after one has ritually washed one’s hands (lit., as after “lift up your hands” - a phrase from Tehillim 134:2 often recited accompanying the ritual washing of hands).
Expressions with reynikn:
1. Gis nisht aroys dos umreyne vaser kol zman du host nisht dos reyne (דיס נישט ארויס דאס אומריינע וואסער כל זמן דו האסט נישט דאס ריינע) - Don’t reject the backup until your first choice comes through (lit., As long as you don’t yet have clean water, don’t pour out the dirty water). Similarly, Men zol nisht dos umreyne vaser oysgisn biz dos reyne kumt nisht tsu flisn (מען זאל נישט דאס אומריינע וואסער אויסגיסן ביז דאס ריינע קומט נישט צו פליסן) - lit., Don’t pour out the dirty water until the clean water comes flowing. And again, Varf nisht aroys di shmutsike eyder du host di reyne(ווארף נישט ארויס די שמוציקע איידער דו האסט די ריינע) - Don’t throw away the soiled until you have the clean.
2. Aleyn iz di neshome reyn (אליין איז די נשמה ריין) - I’m better off alone (lit., The soul is pure by itself). The expression probably originally meant that the soul, without the body, is pure and holy - only when it is combined with the body does it come to sin; see bSanhedrin 91b. However, today it is mostly used as a way of extricating oneself from a business partnership or other interpersonal association which one would like to avoid.
3. A reyn harts iz bay a mes (א ריין הארץ איז ביי א מת) - A pure heart is found [only] in a corpse.
4. Reyn gold zhavert nisht (ריין גאלד זשאווערט נישט) - Perfection tends to stay perfect (lit., Pure gold does not rust).
5. Reynkeyt hit op dos gezunt (ריינקייט היט אפ דאס געזונט) - Cleanliness keeps you healthy.
6. Rakhmones hot reyne kavones (רחמנות האט ריינע כוונות) - Pity has pure intentions.
7. Peysekh-lebn iz a shverer ober a reyner yontef (פסח-לעבן איז א שווערער אבער א ריינער יום-טוב) - Passover is a difficult but clean holiday (so true!).
For another expression involving reyn, see the YWOTW edition of kern.
1. Gis nisht aroys dos umreyne vaser kol zman du host nisht dos reyne (דיס נישט ארויס דאס אומריינע וואסער כל זמן דו האסט נישט דאס ריינע) - Don’t reject the backup until your first choice comes through (lit., As long as you don’t yet have clean water, don’t pour out the dirty water). Similarly, Men zol nisht dos umreyne vaser oysgisn biz dos reyne kumt nisht tsu flisn (מען זאל נישט דאס אומריינע וואסער אויסגיסן ביז דאס ריינע קומט נישט צו פליסן) - lit., Don’t pour out the dirty water until the clean water comes flowing. And again, Varf nisht aroys di shmutsike eyder du host di reyne(ווארף נישט ארויס די שמוציקע איידער דו האסט די ריינע) - Don’t throw away the soiled until you have the clean.
2. Aleyn iz di neshome reyn (אליין איז די נשמה ריין) - I’m better off alone (lit., The soul is pure by itself). The expression probably originally meant that the soul, without the body, is pure and holy - only when it is combined with the body does it come to sin; see bSanhedrin 91b. However, today it is mostly used as a way of extricating oneself from a business partnership or other interpersonal association which one would like to avoid.
3. A reyn harts iz bay a mes (א ריין הארץ איז ביי א מת) - A pure heart is found [only] in a corpse.
4. Reyn gold zhavert nisht (ריין גאלד זשאווערט נישט) - Perfection tends to stay perfect (lit., Pure gold does not rust).
5. Reynkeyt hit op dos gezunt (ריינקייט היט אפ דאס געזונט) - Cleanliness keeps you healthy.
6. Rakhmones hot reyne kavones (רחמנות האט ריינע כוונות) - Pity has pure intentions.
7. Peysekh-lebn iz a shverer ober a reyner yontef (פסח-לעבן איז א שווערער אבער א ריינער יום-טוב) - Passover is a difficult but clean holiday (so true!).
For another expression involving reyn, see the YWOTW edition of kern.
Reynikn in a sentence: M’reynikt di shtub di gantse vokh un mayn tsimer iz epes nokh a blote (מ’רייניקט די שטוב די גאנצע וואך און מיין צימער איז עפעס נאך א בלאטע) - We’ve been cleaning the house the entire week and somehow my room is still a mess.
Use reynikn in your own sentence today!
Umshlof Blog
For those interested, Umshlof (a Yiddish blog I have not as yet reviewed) posted traditional and creative Yiddish translations of some of the most beloved songs sung at the Peysekh sedorim (“The Four Question,” “Dayyenu,” “Had Gadya”). You can print them out and take them with you tonight! I am also including below a transcription and translation of the Yiddish version of “Ehad Mi Yodea” (in English: “Who Knows One?;” in Yiddish: “Ma Asapre”) for your lyrical pleasure.
In addition, producer David Unger recently screened his new film “New Yiddish Culture” about the revival of Yiddishism in New York City cultural, artistic, musical, and literary life; you can catch a trailer of it here.
