RE: Nitl & cantors

[Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl...>]

Am cleaning up my overstuffed computer and found this letter 
that I wrote in January but didn't get to send of.  It's a 
moot point by now, but I am sending it off for sake of the 
historical record.



David,

I am sorry that I didn't have time to comment or thank you for
sending in this post.   I have spoken to several folklorists about 
this including one that has given several talks about Jews and 
Christmas and they all agreed that this was a good joke yeshivah 
guys liked to make, but no one knows of any source for Jews having 
actually done this on nitl.  

As for why tear up toilet paper ahead of time for Shabes, I assumed 
that everyone here was already familiar with the halakhik ruling.
What I remember of my days in Brooklyn Hasidic yeshivas and shuls 
(1960's) was that they never had rolls of toilet paper.   They 
always had packets of small folded individual sheets already cut 
up for you in case you used the toilet on Shabbes.  Many old shuls 
still have those special vertical dispensers on the doors of their
stall, kept empty nowadays.  That was another reason why this 
story was unlikely, at least in America.   
 

Reyzl 


----------
From:  David Herskovic[SMTP:david (at) arctic1(dot)demon(dot)co(dot)uk]
Sent:  Wednesday, December 31, 1997 1:11 PM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant.
Subject:  Re: Nitl & cantors

It is a shame that some members prefer barking to talking and feel
muzzled unless they have mentioned God at the top of their postings. I
suppose the Psalmist may have been referring to their likes when saying
'The lofty praises of God are in their throats and double edged swords
are in their hands'.

But talking about dogs and folklore there is a well documented segule
(remedy?) to quieten a barking dog by saying the verse, written when the
Egyptians were forewarned of the plague of the firstborn, which
translates, 'And to all the children of Israel a dog will not snarl its
tongue'. Let's try it, it might even work.

Regarding nitl, which has been such a source of contention, I have heard
of the minheg to cut toilet paper on nitl but on a slightly different
note. I remember when in yeshive the bokhurim used to joke that nitl was
the time to cut up toilet rolls for shabes, this being because they
cannot be torn on shabes. There was even a joke that nitl is an acronym
of 'nyar toilet le'shabes' (Heb. for toilet paper for shabes).

I must admit that I never saw anyone engage in this activity on nitl and
I suppose it was made up either by some zealous bokher who couldn't
think of any activity other than toyre and, similarly, considered
cutting toilet paper to be bitel toyre, or it is  a maskilic joke which
satirises the yeshive bokhur's mind that it is not capable of engaging
in any other intellectual activity other than toyre and when that is
forbidden all that is left is cutting toilet paper.

And now to cantors of which nitl is a digression. I find it strange that
the reason that it is preferable to do away with cantors is that "the
more we relegate our religious and musical responsibilities to others,
such as cantors and/or rabbis, the less WE benefit from what prayer and
music have to offer us" as those who have done away with cantors are
usually the very same who most eagerly run to a Rebbe to do their
praying for them. Surely consistency is not too much to ask for. And as
to the the point, "and the opportunity for the learned to abuse their
office is greatly magnified" all I can add is 'Hear, Hear.'


David Herskovic