By Rabbi Shawn Zell

With Shavuot soon upon us, I thought that I’d do something different to prepare for the festival. I decided to read the book of Ruth in Yiddish. To say that I was mesmerized by the text would be an understatement.

Wishing to share my exuberance, I have listed five Yiddish words culled from chapter three in the hope that it will add to your appreciation of the text.

Hahlbnahcht (half night): While the English language employs the same usage for 12 a.m. and 12 p.m.—by referring to the former as “midnight” and the latter as “midday”—the Yiddish language describes these two temporal moments differently. As in English, the Yiddish term “mittog” denotes “midday.” Not so its nocturnal counterpart. Even though, “in mitten nahcht,” (in the middle of the night) is perfectly acceptable, the term “hahlbnahcht” appears in my Yiddish edition of the book of Ruth.

Shteelehrhayt (quietly): “Shteelehrhayt” is the adverbial form of “shteel” (quiet). As a student at a Yiddish day school, I—together with my classmates—failed to appreciate that our school was a phenomenon. As such, we were frequently visited by visitors from out of town who eagerly wanted to witness a post-World War II wonder. Implicitly, we knew that as students we had to show our best side to our guests. We, therefore, restrained ourselves from calling out answers. We put a kibosh on whispering to our classmates while school was in session. We even made sure not to slouch as we sat at our desks. Mirabile dictu (wonderful to relate), we actually managed to sit through an entire session “shteelehrhayt.”

Shyehr (threshing floor): There were other places where Naomi could have orchestrated the meeting between Ruth, her beloved daughter-in-law, and Boaz. Yet, Naomi specifically chose the shyehr—in that the shyehr is where the grain (the valuable part) is separated from the chaff (which is cast aside). Perhaps Naomi wished to convey to Boaz that when it came to women, the lovely individual who stealthily came down to the shyehr after hours was the “cream of the crop.” Naomi is a perfect example of what the noted jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes meant when he said, “A man has his will, but a woman has her way.”

Ahropneedehrehn zich (to lower oneself down): Did you ever wonder why Holland is also referred to as the Netherlands? It’s because much of the country sits below sea level. And so, “Netherland” means “Lowland.” In daily speech, inviting someone to “zehtz zich ahneeder” is akin to inviting someone to “zehtz zich avehk.” In both cases, you are politely asking your guest to be seated. In both cases, “zich” (yourself) is present—in that “zich” denotes a reflexive. English aside, in many languages such as French and German, one sits oneself down.

Oyslayzehr (redeemer): Moshe Rabbeinu was our people’s first oyslayzehr. Moshiach will be our people’s ultimate oyslayzehr. In the interim, the term “oyslayzehr” takes on other meanings, usually of a personal nature. In a situation where a woman finds herself widowed without children, it is incumbent upon the deceased’s brother to marry her so that she can bear a son so that the property/estate remains within the family. In Ruth’s case, there was a “ploni almoni” (Hebrew for John Doe) who was a closer relative who was only too happy to forgo the mitzvah through “chalitzah,” thereby, enabling Boaz to serve as Ruth’s oyslayzehr.

Aside from finding themselves in a Yiddish version of a most remarkable story, these five words serve as the quintessential vocabulary of Shavuot. In order to respond “naaseh v’nishma” (we will do and obey), our ancestors had to be prepared to “ahropneedehrehn zich” or sublimate themselves to the Torah. Those who were taken out of Egypt encamped “hahlbnahcht, shteelehrhayt” around Mt. Sinai, as their “oyslayzer” Moshe Rabbeinu received the greatest gift to mankind on their behalf. From that moment on, it has been our sacred task to see ourselves in a “shyehr,” separating the chaff from the grain to prove ourselves worthy of being the chosen people.

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.