Parshas Shelach (5779)
As mentioned last week, there are special ways that Jews traditionally walk and talk – and have done so since time immemorial.
So, for example, when a Jew reaches his final destination – especially after a long and difficult trip – he will typically say: “Baruch Hashem (Thank G-d) we made it!â€
Last week we offered a few illustrations of what it means to “talk like a Jewâ€, but we left out some really good ones. So we figured that this week we would just continue with the ones that we missed. we hope you enjoy them!
~ Chas V’Shalom! (lit. [G-d] Protect us and [Give us] Peaceâ€); a Hebrew version of “G-d forbid†or “Heaven forbid†used to express a fervent wish that something bad does not happen; e.g. “If we were both to die in a plane crash, Chas V’Shalom, who would raise the kids?â€
~ Mazal Tov! (lit. “a good flowâ€); usually mistranslated “good luck†(Judaism doesn’t believe in ‘luckâ€), “Mazel Tov!†is the Jewish way of saying “Congratulations!†and is essentially a wish that the “flow of blessing†that has come down to this person from Above should continue; e.g. “Last night we had a baby girl!†..â€Mazal Tov!â€
~ B’Sha’ah Tovah! (lit. “In a good time!â€); When we find out that someone is expecting, for example, it is Jewish custom to wish that person B’Sha’ah Tovah as opposed to Mazal Tov. [When we wish someone B’sha’ah Tovah, we wish them that the blessing which is now concealed comes to fruition at a favorable or propitious time. When we wish someone Mazal Tov, it means that they have already experienced good mazal or flow of blessing. Here the baby hasn’t come yet, so we do not jump the gun by wishing Mazal Tov.]; e.g. “We are expecting a baby in early August†…B’Sha’ah Tovah! (My beloved grandmother, of blessed memory, used to say in her heavily accented Galician Yiddish: “In a gitta shooâ€.) [In Judaism, we wish each other that the blessing that we are expecting should come in a good time - we are careful not to presume anything before it happens. Accordingly, it is Jewish custom not to celebrate nor prepare for the baby too much before it is actually born. This is also why observant Jews may not find out the gender of the baby, or if they do, they typically refrain from announcing it until the baby is born.]
~ Yemach Sh’mo V’zichro! (lit. “may his name and his memory be obliteratedâ€); this Jewish “curse of all curses†is typically reserved for truly evil people; e.g. “The Mossad found Adolf Eichmann, yemach sh’mo v’zichro, in Argentina, and brought him to Israel to stand trial for his heinous crimes against the Jewish people during the Holocaustâ€.
~ Alav HaShalom (lit. “may he rest in peaceâ€) or Zichrono L’Vrachah (lit. “may his memory be for a blessingâ€) or Zeicher Tzaddik L’Vrachah (lit. “may the memory of the righteous be for a blessingâ€); these are different blessings one can tag on after mentioning a departed relative to honor his memory; e.g. “I would like to share with you a few stories about my great-grandfather, zeicher tzaddik l’vrachahâ€.
~ Tzu Gezunt (lit. “to health!â€); (Yiddish); used to wish good health to a person who has just sneezed. The Talmud teaches in Bava Metzia 87a that until the time of our forefather Jacob, nobody became sick before he died; [people died suddenly, without warning]. Then Jacob prayed [that a person should become sick before he died so that he could convey his last wishes to his children and say goodbye to them],and sickness came into being, for it says, “Joseph was told that his father [Jacob] was sick…†(Genesis 48:1). Similarly, the Midrash teaches that “from the creation of the Heaven and earth until Jacob’s time, no person had ever become ill. Rather, they would remain fit and well until the time they were meant to die. Then, wherever they would happen to be, they would sneeze, and their souls would depart through their nostrils. But then Jacob prayed, seeking mercy from G-d, asking that He not take his soul until he had an opportunity to charge his sons and his household. Therefore a person is duty bound to say “To Life!†after he sneezes to thank G-d that this “death†was turned to light, as it says in the Book of Job: “His sneezes flash light…†(see Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer Chapter 52). Now although the Midrash seems to indicate that one should say “To life!†after sneezing (or after hearing someone else sneeze), the common Jewish custom throughout the millennia has been to wish the sneezer Marpei (which means “health†in Hebrew – or one can say the Modern Hebrew LaBriut) or Asusa (which means “health†in Aramaic) or one can say the Yiddush Tzu Gezunt). And somewhere along the line, people started wishing each other “G-d bless you†after sneezing, which also works (I guess).
~ Oy, Vey! (lit. “Oh! Woe!â€); (Yiddish); Today, oy and vey are often used together. “Oy,Vey!†is the ethnically Jewish way to react when you find out how much your son’s root canal will cost, or when you find out that there is a two-hour wait time for a table at the restaurant where you just arrived. Sometimes you’ll hear people groan Oy, Vavoy!, which is Hebrew for Oy,Vey! Those who prefer Yiddish lamentations will often cry Vey iz Mir!, which means “woe is to me.†[Did you hear about the dyslexic Jewish mother? She walked around the house all day long crying Yo! Yo! Yo!]
[Sources: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/699508/jewish/What-Does-Oy-Vey-Mean.htm ]
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=571