4,352 Wise Sayings From Jewish Folklore
Accumulated in Treasury by Leo Rosten

41

'So Sue Me!' Threats Marked by Famous Cases:
• •
•
New York Conciliation Court Notable History

There are frequent refer- as a New York rabbi to settl
e having no appetite and sleep
Leo Rosten is a marvelous constantly shuttling between thor's scholarship, as th is ences to the Jewish tradition in Israel.
ing poorly. The judges sug
storyteller and an able re- tw, vocabularies." Although reviewer has already indica t- of a Beth Din — a court of
gest a trade school. Marcus
Yaffe
not
only
relates
the
searcher. He proved his skill he refers to "The Torments ed in his reference to th e justice operating in the Jew-
story
of
the
court
and
its
says
the important thing is
as a fiction writer with his of Translation," it is this numerous addenda. Beside s, ish community in order to
H•Y•M•A•N• ic•A•P•L•A•N ability to shuttle through many of the chapters co n- avoid involving social cases. basic ideas, but he also lists for him to regain his health
a number of interesting cases The judges suggest psych'
stories. His "The Joys of vocabularies that undoubt- tain other notes to define th e those involving social
that came up for review. atric help. Marcus says he
Yiddish" commends him as edly added to his skill as a section's texts, such as fo
family disputes, Jev,,,h or-
Here
are a few examples of tried it once and didn't like
a collector of humorous translator. His introductory Kabala, Heaven, Gover n- ganizations and synagogues,
tales. essays on translations, on ment, Erotica, Sabbath, Sa i- into public disputes. The Din the cases that came for the doctor. The judges decide
decisions:
that Marcus must start look-
These skills are in evi- "The Importance (and Mis- vation, Science, Sentimen t, Torah has been among the
Old Mrs. Unger, a widow ing for a job the next morn-
dence again in his newest demeanor) of Translation" Vows, Books, Drunkards
major principles in Jewish
living alone, tells the court ing, and recommend a psy-
work, "Treasury of Jewish add invaluably to the study Compassion, etc., etc.
life.
chiatrist with whom he is to
Quotations," just published of Rosten's treatment of an
Such a court was establish- that her son Moe borrowed
A few samples of wise say
by McGraw-Hill. He has entertaining yet most seri- ings and the authors quote d ed in New York, and it be- $900 from her 10 years ago make an appointment.
counted 4,352 proverbs, folk ous subject.
A month later, the father
by Rosten:
came known as the Jewish and now refuses to return it.
sayings, witticisms, maxims
Most impressive also are
Lend books to the poo Conciliation board. For many Moe proves that he owes his wearily reports that Marcus
•• —wisdom of the ag e s a s
well his definitions of the pedi- before you lend them to t he years it was chaired by the mother nothing — "she has looked for a job for two
hardening of the arteries in days, then stopped, and he
as the present which he has gree of proverbs, his explan- rich.—Judah the Pious.
the head and she forgets." went to the psychiatrist only
collected over a period of ation of the importance of
Some scholars have th e
some 58 years.
The judges learn that he has once. But the mother is opti-
proverbs among Jews, for sense of donkeys: they onl
Il
been giving a $50 per month mistic.
He states at the outset preachers of Judaism, for carry a lot of books.—Adapt
allowance to the old lady for
"How the Obsession Began" disputants.
"He goes out of the house
ed from Bahya ibn Paqud a,
—when he was 6 years old,
years. So, to relieve her now."
Then there is his acquired "Duties of the Heart."
anxiety, they "order" her son
when he began to hear folk love for Yiddish to which he Man should perform h is
"Where does he go?"
to pay her $50 a month until
sayings from his mother turns often and the humor duties to his fellow men eve
"He goes to the race track.
n
and father: "And so pro- of the language out of which as
the $900 he "owes" her has I give him a few dollars ..."
to God.—Mishna, "Shea' •
been returned.
verbs, epigrams, maxims, he molded the joys of the lim."
One of Mrs. Isaacs' corn-
vitsen of every conceivable language. It is a notable corn-
Mrs. Bosky, a widow, testi- plaints against her husband
"A man should remembe r
sort were woven into the mentary, and he gives due three things:
fies that Mrs. Glick, a match- is that he never eats with the
that he has onl y
fabric of my daily life." credit to the late Maurice one day to live; that he has
maker, has taken her $25 de- children. In his defense Mr.
He went for search of wis- Samuel for the best evalua- only the page
posit which she refuses to Isaacs says, "It is bad for
before him to
dom into the Bible, the Tal- tions of the spirit of Yiddish. study; and
return, in spite of the fact my digestion, There is such
that he is the
that she has introduced her a tumult at the table. As
mud, the Mishna, the Mid- Thus, when he explains his only Jew on whom the stir.
rash, the German, the Trac- method of translating pro. vival of Torah depends.—The
to men that were "not her long as there is no tumult, I
type." Mrs. Glick counters would do it." "Is it not a
totes. He collected them, as verbs, from the Yiddish, how Chofetz Chaim.
indicated, by the thousands, the proverbs are shared by
Oh Lord, give me an ex- DR. ISRAEL GOLDSTEIN that in America the match- happy tumult?" asks the
and it became necessary for all and how the non-Jew can cuse.—Yiddish saying.
maker must do things in a judge, and Mr. Isaacs is
him also to do some translat- benefit from them, he Is
Fear the man who fears eminent Jewish leader, D r. modern way, which includes ordered to eat with the chil-
ing. Therefore, the treasury both the entertaining writer you.—Hasidic saying,
an overhead for an office, dren.
Israel Goldstein, and th
that has just been published and the teacher.
cases that were tackled an d e reception room, telephone
Mrs. Fradkin objects be-
A father should
includes sayings from many
and
newspaper advertising. cause the cemetery has
Rosten entered into a long like a
solved combine into a recor
languages, with Yiddish and • process of explaining, defin- verb. king. — Yiddish pro-- so fascinating that the cour
The
judges
recognize
the
burled
an unmarried girl in
t
Hebrew predominant in the Mg, guiding the reader to-
justice of Mrs. Glick's posi- the plot next to her husband.
A man who can't lie can't will always be viewed a s tion and
wealth of wisdom that is now ward it full understanding be a marriage
decide
that Mrs. According to her strict
broker.—Men- one of the great achieve
Bosky is not entitled to her Orthodox upbringing this is
available to a new audience of the quotation and its dale Moher Seforim.
ments of New York Jewry.
money back. They suggest, improper,
to whom the puns and the value. He prepared guiding
undignified, in
For 13 years, I taught my
The story of the New Yor k
however, that Mrs. Glick fact, scandalous. A difficult
maxims and the proverbial notes on the Torah, Talmud, tongue not to tell
Beth Din is told In a delight make
mannerisms may have been Midrash, Hagada, Gemara, for the next 13, I a lie; and
a few more attempts dile nma for the judges.
taught it to ful and enlightening book
strange.
and drew upon valuable Res. tell the truth. — Koretzer In "So Sue Me! The story o . to find • man for Mrs. They agree that Mrs. Frad-
f Bosky. "After all," says one kin is right, but they also
In the process of making ponsa for his texts. For this Rabbi.
a Community Court," pub
the judges, "something is know that Orthodox law takes
his collected sayings avail. volume of more than 700
The pursuit of passion be- lished by Saturday Review - of
always possible."
able to what is certain to be pages he took some 90 for
a dim view of bodies being
boring.—Hasidic fray- Press, James Yaffe, author
A husband and wife come removed from their graves
vast audience, Rosten has his. explanatory essays, his Mg.
of several books and plays
to court with their 20. and buried elsewhere, In the
gone to great lengths to de- personal reactions, the guides
Put not your trust in currently professor of Eng year-old son, Marcus. The
end they order the cemetery
fine the methods of tranalat- to an understanding of the princes.—Psalms.
lish at Colorado College.
father wants his son to stop to put up a partition between
ing, to reminisce about a proverbs and their values;
Better an insincere peace
Yaffe's story is most de-
volume he had discovered in and he added as appendices than a sincere quarrel.—Lub. scriptive. It gives a proper watching TV all day and get the two graves.
a job; the mother is con-
"So Sue Me!" is a most
London in 1934—"Juedische a brief chapter "On Trans. liner Rabbi.
evaluation of the Jewish prin-
Sprichwoerter and Reden. toting Hebrew, 64 pages de- Not to teach your son to ciples of keeping certain is- cerned about her son's delightful work and it empha-
health; the young man com- sizes the validity of an old
sarten" by Ignaz Bernstein—. voted to "Biographical Vig- work is like teaching to sues out of
public courts, plains of being nervous and
which inspired him to do this nettes of the Authors Quot- steal.—Talmud.
and at the same time he ex- lacking self-confidence, of Jewish idea that is imbedded
work. He had acquired the ed." a 58-page "Glossary"
in deep-rooted principles.
A woman can argue even plains that some matters
book, lost it and later re- and 12 pages devoted to a with the angel of death. — could be either misunder-
gained it as a very valued selected bibliography. He ' Yiddish saying.
vim
•
stood or not understood by
possession, and the routine thus proved the extent of his
I I J t I
Lend before witnesses, but non-Jewish judges. There-
of this experience is part of research.
give without them—Yiddish fore a Jewish court, in addi-
the fascinating Rosten story
If a review of "Leo Ros- saVin g'
tion to serving the purpose
in relation to his treasury of ten's Treasury of Jewish
Don't
lend to a man strong. of avoiding scandals by re-
quotations.
Quotations" were to be limit- er than you; and if you do, taining Jewish matters for
It was, Rosters writes, as ed to topical selections from act as though you had lost discussion within the Jewish
an immigrant child, growing the book it would prove
Ben Sirach
household, Is a human fac- 92-7
,
P14P r3"n1r 1.1 4 17 P
up —
a bilingual world," lightening and would invite
If you lend money you buy
that he was able to sharpen enjoyment of the book's con- enemies.—Yiddish saying.
, n4tr
Established in 1920 by
"the ear to the subtleties tents. It is necessary, how-
Remember: there are more Louis Richman, an attorney,
that differentiate words as ever, to emphasize the au- than 4.300 proverbs in this and Rabbi Samuel Buckler. D';V
5
•
book. It is a scholarly crea- the conciliation idea
was
9 3"
tion, and those possessing backed by many prominent
"Leo Rosten's Treasury of Jews, and Dr. Goldstein was
Jewish Quotations" will con- president of the Jewish Con-
7-1
sider it among their most ciliation Court for many
1y1
prized possessions. —P.S. years before his retirement 1:1 7

t3 7

Young Musicians to Solo

Hebrew Corner

1

a

Six students of the Jewish Center's music school will
be soloists in Haydn's Toy Symphony at the family concert
to be given by the Center Symphony Orchestra, directed
by Julius Chajes, 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Center. Shown
In a practice session with Chajes are (from left), front
row: Scott Schuster, 0, and Jeffrey Chajes, 7; rear: Mark
Dubois, 10, Michael Schwartz, 10, Caroline O'Connor, 11, and
David Pas, it. Muriel Kilby and Chajes will bt piano soloists,
and Dr. Bertram Spiwak, narrator, in Saint-Saens' "Car-
nival of the Animals." Tickets for this Omnibus series con-
cert are available at the Center's cashier.

41—Friday, Jan. 26, 1973

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

A group of Jews from
France, led by Yaakov
(Karl) Neter, visited Israel
93 years ago. The group was
delegated by the organiza-
tion "All Israel Are Friends"
("Alliance") with the goal
to spread education among
Jews in the Orient.
The picture that unfolded
for this group was sad. In
the entire land, there was
not even one Jewish farmer.
The Jewish residents of the
land were several thousand;
altogether they were concen-
trated in the old cities: Jeru-
salem, Hebron, Safed and
Tiberias, and survived on
charity and alms (philan-
thropic help.)
This group decided to or-
ganize in the country a
school to teach agriculture.

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