Rachel Hebrew Lesson 4/7

Dear Daled-ites,

This is our last lesson before Passover break. I hope you enjoy your Seders, both with family and on Zoom, and discover all kinds of new ways to play board games with macaroons (I guess you could also eat them).

Today’s lesson isn’t actually in Hebrew, it’s in Yiddish!

First, here’s a fun introduction to the Yiddish language:

Now, take a look at the list of Yiddish words I’ve given you, and read the words out loud to whoever will listen. These words are fun to say! And hopefully you will feel some connection with your ancestors. Imagine Bubbe and Zayde in a shtetl in Poland getting ready to pluck a chicken for the Shabbes soup, gossiping with their neighbors over the back fence, or going to synagogue for Friday night services.

Today’s exercise - Create a word search!

I’ve given you a blank word search template that you can print out, and a list of Yiddish words (scroll all the way to the bottom!). I want you to choose ten of the Yiddish words that you like, either because of how they sound, or what they mean, and set them in the grid going forward, backward, up, down, or diagonal, either using Hebrew letters or English letters. (If you want to keep an answer key for future reference, make a copy of the word search at this point.)

Now, fill in the rest of the spaces in the grid with random letters of the Alphabet, or the Alephbet, and challenge your friends and family! Oh, and send me a copy at rachelmank@earthlink.net.

Dance Break: Here are two more Passover music videos to help you get in the mood for the holiday:

Chag Sameach, Gut Yontif, and Happy Passover!

Eat and be well and I hope to see you soon,

Morah Rachel

Yiddish Word List

חוצפה – Chutzpah – nerve, audacity (from Hebrew)

דרעק – Dreck – worthless, rubbish (from German)

פליישיק – Fleishig – made with meat (from German)

געלט – Gelt – money (from German)

גליטש – Glitch – a minor malfunction (from German)

גנב – Gonif – thief, scoundrel (from Hebrew)

היימיש – Haimish – homelike, friendly, folksy (from German)

קיביץ – Kibitz – to gossip (from German)

קלאץ – Klutz – a clumsy person (from German)

קוועל – Kvell – express great pleasure and pride (from German)

קווטש – Kvetch – whine, complain (from German/Hebrew)

מבין – Maven – expert (from Hebrew)

מנטש – Mensch – a good person (from German)

משוגע – Meshugeh – crazy (from Hebrew)

מילכיק – Milchig – made with dairy (from German)

נארישקייט – Narishkeit – nonsense (from German)

נו – Nu – so, so what, well (from Russian/Polish)

נודניק – Nudnik – pain in the neck (from Polish)

אוי וויי – Oy Vey – an interjection of grief (from German)

פישער – Pisher – an inexperienced person (from German)

פלאץ – Plotz – bursting with strong emotion (from German)

שלעף – Schlep – to drag (from German)

שלעמיל- Schlemiel – clumsy person (from Hebrew)

שלימזל – Schlimazel – an unlucky person (from Dutch/German)

שלאק – Schlock – something cheap and shoddy (from German)

שמאטע – Schmatta – a rag (from Polish)

שמאלץ – Schmaltz – chicken fat, sentimentality (from German)

שמיר – Schmear – a spread or bribe (from German)

שמוץ – Schmutz – dirty (from German)

שול – Shul – a synagogue (from German)

שוויץ – Schvitz – to sweat (from German)

שפיל – Schpiel – a sales pitch (from German)

צאצקע – Tchotchke – a trinket, knick knack (from Polish)

טרף – Treif – not kosher (from Hebrew)

פארקלעמט – Verklempt – choked with emotion (from German)

יארמלקע – Yarmulke – skull cap (from Polish/Ukrainian/Turkish)

יענטע – Yenta – a talkative woman, a gossip (a given name)

יידיש – Yiddish – the “Jewish Language” (from German)

זאפטיק – Zaftig – Pleasingly plump (from German)