Yiddish Wisdom: Yiddishe Chochma

By Kristina Swarner

Book Overview

All the color, vibrancy, and humor of Yiddish is captured in this delightfully illustrated treasury of over 100 folk sayings in both English and Yiddish. From the sublime (Man thinks and God laughs/ A mentsh tracht un Got lacht ) to the practical (When you look to the heights, hold onto your hat/ Az du kukst oif hoicheh zachen, halt tsu dos hitl ), Yiddish Wisdom collects the best from the Old Country. The perfect icebreaker for social gatherings' mah jongg games, and coffee klatches, this enchanting volume also makes a charming gift for any happy occasion.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811812022
• ISBN13: 9780811812023
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 7.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Very good for general readers as well as Yiddish learners

This is a great book not just for people who want to hear some of Yiddish culture's warm but often ironic wit ("Az me hot gelt, iz men klug un shain un men ken gut zingen"- "If you have money, you are wise and good-looking and can sing well too"!), but also for people looking to practice their Yiddish, as every Yiddish phrase is accompanied by its English translation, and the syntax is as straightforward as the ideas are complex. One note, though: The Yiddish is presented only in Latin script (which I personally prefer; but some others prefer Hebrew script), and it does not use the standard YIVO spelling, but is so close that it's not a problem even for beginning students. For example, this book has "Fun dein moil in Got's oi'eren arein!" where YIVO standard (such as you'd find in most grammars and dictionaries) would be the quite similar "Fun dayn moyl in Gots oyern arayn!". (But, you know, as p27 says, "es iz laichter tsu zein a mevaker vi a mechaber"- "it's easier to be a critic than an author".)

Terrific

This is a great little book with more than 120 sayings from the Eastern European Jewish community, in their Yiddish lingua Franca. There's lots of wisdom here, as well as expression of frustration over their powerless and impoverished situation. Readers will enjoy the Yiddish humor as well. Try it. I found this to be a great little book.

You'll love the wit and wisdom of the book!

This book makes a great gift for anyone. It is full of wonderful sayings that apply to many different situations. I bought 6!