Born To Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its MoodsAs the main spoken language of the Jews for more than a thousand years, Yiddish has had plenty to lament, plenty to conceal. Its phrases, idioms, and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution: they never stopped kvetching---about God, gentiles, children, food, and everything (and anything) else. They even learned how to smile through their kvetching and express satisfaction in the form of complaint. |
Contents
1 | |
YIDDISH IN ACTION | 29 |
YIDDISH DIALECTS | 47 |
THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF YIDDISH | 59 |
YIDDISH AND THE FORCES OF DARKNESS | 91 |
THE YIDDISH CURSE | 117 |
MAZL MISERY AND MONEY | 141 |
YIDDISH AND NATURE | 159 |
FOODKOSHER AND TREYF | 175 |
YIDDISH LIFE FROM BIRTH TO BAR MITZVAH | 197 |
COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE | 221 |
SEX IN YIDDISH | 249 |
DEATH IN YIDDISH | 265 |
Glossary | 287 |