50 Plagues

Title: 50 Plagues

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Rabbi Gray was born in New York City and grew up in Seattle. He obtained his rabbinical ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Nachalat Har Chabad. He has studied at yeshivas in England, Israel, Canada and America. He is currently the Rabbi at Chabad at Dartmouth College.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: The proverb is from a section of the Talmud, a religious text about civil and ceremonial law, which discusses primarily building codes. Towards the end, the Talmud goes into tangents, and in one of these tangents, the verse includes the proverb. The verse the Talmud uses to back up this proverb is a verse from Job, where his friends come to him and say that it is better what you are dealing with, and the challenges and the struggles, than to be poor. This emphasizes poverty in the home as the source of many challenges. The term 50 plagues is used because Job says that the hand of God has touched him, and the 10 plagues of Egypt is considered the finger of God. So, if the finger of God is 10 plagues, the hand of God is 50 plagues.
Social Context: Rabbi Gray learned this proverb from his religious studies. He finds the proverb to still be applicable in today’s society, as many divorces originate from financial struggles. Financial struggles put a tremendous strain on relationships and families.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

קשה עניות בתוך ביתו של אדם יותר מחמשים מכות

Translation:

“Poverty in one’s home is worse than 50 plagues.”

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Informant’s Comments:

Rabbi Gray was unsure when this proverb would actually be used in common conversation.

Collector’s Comments:

I found this proverb especially representative of the notion that proverbs can remove blame by treating an idea as common wisdom. Speaking to someone about finances can be uncomfortable and by using a proverb, it removes a lot of this discomfort.

Collector’s Name: Madison Minsk

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive