Re: JEWISH-MUSIC digest 108

[Philip <mike...>]

>                            JEWISH-MUSIC Digest 108
>
>Topics covered in this issue include:
>
>  1) Rozhinkes, Mandlen and a tsigeleh
>        by JRJ (at) neu(dot)edu
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 22:45:39 -0500 (EST)
>>From: JRJ (at) neu(dot)edu
>To: jewish-music (at) israel(dot)nysernet(dot)ORG
>Subject: Rozhinkes, Mandlen and a tsigeleh
>Message-ID: <01HODJ23PWGY8YDT3V (at) neu(dot)edu>
>
>
>Does anyone have any information on the significance of the
>raisins and almonds and the white goat in the old Yiddish
>lullaby and the Goldfaden song which is derived from it?
>Why are raisins and almonds mentioned as the source of livelihood?
>And what does the goat symbolize? So far, I've come up with
>the scapegoat in the Temple and the chad gadyah from the
>Seder song. But, even so, what's the connection?
>
>Joshua R. Jacobson
>Northeastern University
>Boston, MA 02115
>JRJ (at) neu(dot)edu
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of JEWISH-MUSIC Digest 108
>******************************

Raisens and almonds are the traditional fillings or additions to Jewish
Pastries.

This is especially true of the sephardic pastries.  I know that the 'crypto
Jews' say that the pastries that have raisens and almonds in them are all
Jewish Recipes that have been handed down.

I would suspect that if it were in a lullaby that the raisens and almonds
would be a reference to sweets (jewish sugarplums dancing in their heads)
and the goat is probably the animal, like a child that starts pure and has
so many things happen to it ... CHad Gadya ... the ripple effect of life.
The kid bought for two zuzim could easily symbolize the Jewish people or a
child and all the things they set off going thru time.

Philip J. Leonard
mike (at) order(dot)ph(dot)utexas(dot)edu