RE: Rebbe Abimelechs tanz

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

As they say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

I couldn't figure out how you got from a to b.   

But then, I also forgot that my beloved Moyshe Nadir wrote that song in AMERIKA 
in 1927.  That explains EVERYTHING.


Reyzl 



----------
From:  Joshua Horowitz [SMTP:horowitz (at) styria(dot)com]
Sent:  Friday, August 20, 1999 4:04 PM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant
Subject:  Re: Rebbe Abimelechs tanz

Yeah, Reyzl,

you're absolutely right, there, but didn't you like my freely associated
translation anyway? Josh

> Josh,
> 
> None of the expressions using khale in Yiddish thieves can apply here.
>   "Zikh vashn tsu khale" has only the traditional meaning of washing before
> eating any kind of bread so that you can make the hamoytsi blessing.
> 
> >After all, khalle nemn is more fun than stealing.
> 
> Today you can eat khale whenever you want, but in Eastern Europe, it was a
> special occasion that denoted a celebration, - fun.  Remember there was no
> smooth refined flour bread the way we have nowadays.
> 
> Reyzl
> 
> ----------
> From:  Joshua Horowitz [SMTP:horowitz (at) styria(dot)com]
> Sent:  Friday, August 20, 1999 1:02 PM
> To:  World music from a Jewish slant
> Subject:  Re: Rebbe Abimelechs tanz
> 
> > >I'm not quite sure about the khales bit.  Can anyone verify it or
> correct me?
> 
> Joe, there are 2 other obtuse meaning to Khalles:
> 
> In ganovim-loshn (and also perhaps klezmer-loshn, the secret jargon of
> thieves and klezmorim) the word khalle was used to denote the act of
> deflowering, i.e. dishonering a woman, also called *Khalle nemn* not to
> be confused with *Kale nemn* as the first plays with the visual
> association of the form of a khallah (bread) and not the kale (bride).
> 
> The second meaning in ganovim loshn denotes the act of stealing only
> objects which would not be missed right away by their owner, thereby
> allowing the thieves some getaway time:
> *Khalle bakn* Khalle handln* and *Khalle shlagn* all denote this method
> of stealing.
> 
> I vote for the former as a translation of the text in question. After
> all, khalle nemn is more fun than stealing. Josh Horowitz
> 
> > >I even have another verse on an old recording on 78, which says: "Un az
> der
> > >rebe Elimeylekh iz gevorn zeyer shtark freylekh / Iz gevorn zeyer shtark
> > >freylekh Elimeylekh. / Hot er oysgeton dem talis, / Un gevashn zikh tsu
> > >khales / un geshikt nokh di fayflers di tsvey. / Un az di fayfldike
> > >fayflers..."
> > >
> > >Which, according to my poor translation, means:  "And when Rabbi
> Elimeylekh
> > >grew strongly merry...he took off his tallis, and washed himself
> according
> > >to law, and summoned his two flautists.  And when the flutey flautists
> > >fluted flutily..."
> 



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