[HANASHIR:14552] RE: Chazak, Chazak

[Jacqueline Guttman <jguttman...>]

Hello,

At my son's bar mitzvah, these 20 (!) years ago (wow - tomorrow!), the rabbi
quoted and discussed "chazak...", so I sent him an e-mail asking about it.
His reply:

I don't remember Marc's torah portion or bar mitzvah date... --did we
conclude a book of the torah?  those are the words from the Book of Joshua
in the Bible which jews use whenever the public torah reading on a shabbat
in the synagogue happens to be the last reading of that book.  the
congregation rises and says together:  Be strong, Be Strong, and let us find
strength through each other !"  (the last word might be transliterated as "
v'nit-cha-zeyk" and so pronounced.)

However, he took it further, as a message to my son, who was having some
learning and social difficulties. It was perfect. That son, by the way, is
in the process of making a career change - he's just applied to cantorial
school!

Jackie Guttman
Teaneck. NJ




> From: Andy Curry <acurry (at) lenexa(dot)sema(dot)slb(dot)com>
> Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 10:53:49 -0500
> To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Subject: [HANASHIR:14533] RE: Chazak, Chazak
> 
> Meris -
> 
> From the Hertz Chumash, pages 190-191:
> 
> "According to Jewish custom, the completion of any of the Five Books of the
> Torah is marked in the synagogue by the congregation exclaiming 'Chazak
> chazak v'nitchazek' - 'Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one
> another' - an echo of the words of the ancient warrior, 'Be of good
> courage, and let us prove strong for our people, and for the cities of our
> God' (II Samuel X, 12)."
> 
> chazak - chet zayin kuf
> v'nitchazek - vav nun taf chet zayin kuf.
> 
> Kol tuv,
> Andy
> 
> At 06:52 AM 6/8/2003 -0400, you wrote:
> 
>> Friends I have a question and a favor Is there anyone out there who could
>> #1- Provide the text and origination of the expression Chazak, chazak v
>> nitz chazek, and the bigger favor Is it possible to send an attachment to
>> me privately with the Hebrew font?  (That may be asking a bit much) but I
>> know a site where you can also plug in the letters, so if you can t send
>> it, I could do it myself if I have the correct spelling.  Thanks so much!
>> 
>> Please respond privately to:
>> 
>> <mailto:meris (at) nycap(dot)rr(dot)com>meris (at) nycap(dot)rr(dot)com
>> 
>> Meris Ruzow, Albany, NY
> 
> Andy Curry, Kansas City
> acurry (at) lenexa(dot)sema(dot)slb(dot)com
> 
>