Re: mazinke

[mashke <mashke...>]

> While interpreting and deconstructing this tradition bear in mind that the 
> definition of the Yiddish word "mizinke" is "youngest daughter".   No big 
> deal, but if I were trying to squeeze orange juice out of an apple because 
> I was all out of oranges, I  would at least stop calling it an apple.


And should I stop calling a "Gasn Nign" (street song) a "Gasn Nign" because we 
no longer have the "tradition" of the Klezmorim escorting the parents from 
their house in the shtetl to where the celebration is? I think I am preserving 
and disseminating the tradition more by explaining that 150 years ago it was 
hoped (expected) that daughters would be married off in chronoligical sequence 
and therefore the marrying of one's youngest daughter was a reason for great 
joy (or great relief from the lifting of the burden) whereas today the marriage 
of any daughter (or son) brings the same joy and I like to propose to my 
clients that they continue that tradition of the mezinke celebration no matter 
which child it is?

Dick
> While interpreting and deconstructing this tradition bear in mind that the 
> definition of the Yiddish word "mizinke" is "youngest daughter".   No big 
> deal, but if I were trying to squeeze orange juice out of an apple because 
> I was all out of oranges, I  would at least stop calling it an apple.
> 
> 
> At 10:41 AM 8/28/03, mashke (at) comcast(dot)net wrote:
> 
> >As I said, I'm inclusive. In the old days the parents were 'being freed of 
> >the
> >burden' of marrying off their children and so the last was special. I feel 
> >that
> >being the parents of a child that is being married is an honor and should 
> >be
> >treated as such, be it the first, middle, last, 2 children in one wedding, 
> >
> >etc., etc.
> >
> >I think that's the best way, to respect, honor and understand the 
> >tradition and
> >the reason for it, while interpreting it in light of today's mores where 
> >most
> >parents would not think that the oldest daughter has to be married first, 
> >etc.
> >
> >Dick Rosenberg
> > >
> > > >I don't necessarily restrict it to mother and father - we played a Bar
> > > >Mitzvah recently where the parents of the Bar Mitzvah boy were Alice 
> > and
> > > >Margaret).
> > >
> > > Ah, but more important, was their last child being married (otherwise 
> > 100%
> > > in agreement)? :-).
> > >
> > > ari
> 
> 
> _____________________________________________________________
> Cantor Sam Weiss === Jewish Community Center of Paramus, NJ 
> 
> 

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+