CATALOG MAZALTOV?

STRASSFELD, SHARON AND MICHAEL

CATALOG MAZALTOV? SHARON AND MICHAEL STRASSFELD This column derives its title — and its editors — from THE JEWISH CATALOG, the best selling guide to doing Jewish which is reviewed elsewhere...

...But by the sixth (or twentythird) time the words are spoken, the eye will twinkle, the words be purred...
...It h a s since, obviously, come to mean something closer to " c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s , " referring to an event that has already taken place...
...In fact, however, the samech tet used by Sephardic Jews stands for s'fardi tahor—a " p u r e " Sephardi...
...Why the extra three years...
...L a t e l y , some have taken to saying biz hundert un drei-un-tzvantzik—"until a hundred and twenty-three...
...How much more interesting to greet someone with shalom, which means, of course, " h e l l o , " " p e a c e , " and " g o o d - b y e . " (Thereby allowing you to begin, continue and end a conversation all at once...
...b'siman tov retains the original meaning of both, as an expression of good luck rather than of congratulations...
...SHARON AND MICHAEL STRASSFELD This column derives its title — and its editors — from THE JEWISH CATALOG, the best selling guide to doing Jewish which is reviewed elsewhere in these pages...
...Be suspicious if someone says it to you at an unlikely moment...
...Mazal tov.'?.' B'sha'ah tovah: Literally, " i n a g o o d h o u r . " This is the Hebrew equivalent of the widely used Yiddish, "in a guter sho...
...Among Sephardic Jews, it is not uncommon to find the letters samech tet underneath the signature on a piece of correspondence...
...Mazal tov can be used sarcastically—as, for example, when a reckless taxi driver finally gets you home in one piece...
...At which point, es kumt dir a maze...
...Accordingly, mazal tov began as a way of extending good wishes for some anticipated event...
...Herewith, an effort to recapture, to expand, to help recreate an idiom rich in nuance, precise in intent...
...The constriction of the Jewish vocabulary is nowhere more apparent than in the status of mazal tov as the sole surviving congratulatory phrase of Jewish interchange...
...Just as we can try to expand our vocabulary Mazal tov: An abbreviation for " l e t this happen under a good sign of the z o d i a c . " While the rabbis of the Talmudic period decried magic and superstition, they did believe that the stars were influential in determining o n e ' s fate...
...It is the proper phrase with which to congratulate a new bar or bat mitzvah...
...It is used particularly at betrothals...
...At weddings, mazal tov is exactly correct...
...It is used chiefly to express congratulations for the inception of a project whose completion is yet to come—as, for example, upon learning of a pregnancy, or of plans for a new magazine...
...So you shouldn't die suddenly...
...B'siman tov: Closely related to mazal tov...
...when congratulating others, so we can, quite easily, expand our vocabulary for greetings...
...I ~l Yasher koach: Ot"y'asherkochacha...
...I 1 Biz hundert un tzvantzik: The Yiddish form of ad me'ah v'esrim, literally, " 'til a hundred and t w e n t y . " A birthday congratulation, derived from the years of Moses...
...There is one phrase reserved for celebrating anniversaries we have saved for last...
...Thus, " h i " is about as empty and overused as can be...
...The same expression is used when a person has successfully fulfilled any of the special tasks associated with the worship service, such as reciting the brachot (blessings) over the Torah, or even opening the Ark...
...A classier greeting for someone who has returned after a significant absence is baruch haba—"blessed is the one who c o m e s . " Responding in courtly fashion, the one to whom such a greeting is extended will say baruch hanimtza — "blessed is the one already p r e s e n t . " • With these several phrases, you should be able to get pretty far...
...It would not be appropriate, however, at the conclusion of a wedding ceremony, since wishing the bride and groom increased strength may imply some doubt about their capacity...
...Literally, " m ay your strength i n c r e a s e , " an expression of felicitation when one has performed a particularly impressive task with success...
...These several phrases are just a sample of the expressions available to us...
...Thus, when a physician completes a complex operation, or a scholar a profound lecture, it is appropriate to say yasher koach...
...Speaking the following phrases for the first time, the speaker who has known only mazal tov may feel rather oil est la plume de ma frmfe-ish, words to blush by...
...Ihr zolt sich elteren in oysher un in koved—"may you age in wealth and in h o n o r . " In celebration of the beginning of this new venture in Jewish life, we say to the readers and the editors, zollen mir z.ich alle elteren tzusammen in oysher un in koved!.'.' May we all age together in wealth and in honor...
...Slightly more expansive is shalom aleichem—literally, " p e a c e unto y o u , " to which the appropriate response is aleichem shalom—or, in effect, the same to you...
...A similar expression is, zol zayn mit mazel—may it be with fortune...
...Some people suppose that they stand for siman tov, in much the same way as some Jews will place the letters bet hey (b'ezrat haShem, or God willing) at the top of a letter...
...In its Hebrew pronunciation, the accent in mazal is on the second syllable, which rhymes with " d o l l . " In its more common Yiddish pronunciation, the accent is on the first syllable, and t he spelling becomes mazel...

Vol. 1 • May 1975 • No. 1


 
Developed by
Kanda Sofware
  Kanda Software, Inc.