The last time I checked this month’s secular calendar, I saw that May 6th was listed as “National Nurses Day,” and May 7th was listed as “World Laughter Day.” If it were up to me, May 9th of this year would be listed as “Jewish Roots Day.” In keeping with tradition where we mourn the plague that befell Rabbi Akiva’s students, we abstain from cutting our hair from before Pesach until Lag B’Omer, which is celebrated on May 6th this year.
In the spirit of “Jewish Roots Day,” I offer six Yiddish terms associated with tonsorial parlors:
Shehrer (barber): The connection between “shear” and “shehrer” ought to be quite apparent. “Shehrer” is closely related to shehrerei (barbershop), oppshehren zich (to get a haircut) and oppshehren (the ceremony of the first haircut given to a male child upon reaching the age of three) and shehrl (scissors).
Hor/hehrelech (hair/little hair): Although less common today, a shehrer would also attend to the bremmen hor (eyebrow hair), the oyer hehrelech (ear hair) and the nozlecher hehrelech (nostril hair). A wise Yiddish adage reminds us that “Onn dee groyeh hor dehrkennt men dee yor (age is discernible independent of gray hair).”
Horrik (hairy): A month ago, all eyes were on Elijah—our perennial seder guest. Yet, few take the time to wonder how they can identify Elijah. Elijah was “horrik.” When King Ahaziah (son of Ahab and Jezebel) asked his messengers about the mysterious man they encountered, they described Elijah as “… a hairy man with a leather belt tied around his waist,” (Kings II, 1:8).
Vonntzes (mustache): It’s a shame that William Taft is best remembered—if at all for—becoming stuck in the White House bathtub. William Howard Taft—27th president of the United States—was the last president to sport a mustache. I would love to be able to share the following Yiddish maxim attributed to Confucius with you: “A mahnn onn vonntzes iz a mahnn onn a neshomeh (a man without a mustache is a man without a soul).” Unfortunately, Confucius spoke no Yiddish.
Bord (beard): Contrary to what many of us were led to believe, not all observant Jews in the old country had full beards. Clean-shaven rabbis of notoriety are known to have arrived at the shores of this country from their native Lithuania. Perhaps, we can now better understand the old Yiddish adage: “Besser a Yid onn ah bord aydehr a bord onn a Yid (better a Jew without a beard than a beard without a Jew).”
Pleech (bald): “It’s not easy to be a son, Fredo,” the fictional Michael Corleone reminded his brother in the movie, “Godfather II.” Neither is it easy to be a disciple—especially if your mentor is the prophet, Elijah. After having performed the miraculous act of turning poisonous water into potable water, Elisha—Elijah’s disciple—was taunted by jeering kids from the neighborhood. “Gay aroif pleechkop! Gay aroif pleechkop! (Get out of here, Baldy! Get out of here, Baldy!).”
Whether we sport a “bord” or “vonntzes,” whether our “shehrer” trims the “hehrelech” of our “bremmen,” “nozlecher,” or “oyer,” we can relax in the chair at the “shehrerei” this Lag B’Omer, knowing that our Yiddish roots have been enriched.
Rabbi Shawn Zell has recently returned to New Jersey, after serving at a pulpit in Dallas. He possesses certification in teaching Yiddish. Rabbi Zell is the author of three books.
