Title: Narrow Bridge
General Information about Item:
- Verbal Lore, proverb
- Language: Hebrew
- Informant: Alex Leibowitz
- Date Collected: 10-24-18
Informant Data:
- Alex Leibowitz is a Dartmouth 2019 and studies Economics. He is from Scarsdale, NY and is a member of SAE fraternity. He is involved with Chabad on campus. He plans to pursue a career in finance after graduating.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: The origin of the Proverb is from the teachings of Rabbi Nachman. Rabbi Nachman has a group of followers that might say this proverb to each other. This proverb has also been turned into a children’s song, and it is more common for it to be shared through that medium. Rabbinical teachings are very important in the Jewish culture, as religion is a main source of wisdom. This is demonstrated by the transformation of the teachings of a religious leader into a proverb.
- Social Context: Alex first heard this proverb in the song, and interprets this proverb as meaning not to look to the side at what others have, or down on others, but to look straight ahead. He believes that relationships can be tenuous and fraught with tension, but that it is important to get past problems by looking ahead. This proverb has been a helpful way for him to remind himself of that.
Item:
Orally transmitted proverb:
“Kol ha-o-lam ku-lo gesher tzar me’od
V’ha-i-kar lo l’fached klal”
Translation:
“The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The important thing is not to be afraid.”
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Informant’s Comments:
- Alex enjoyed that a proverb had been turned into a song, which is a powerful way to spread information, especially among younger people.
Collector’s Comments:
- I liked this proverb because of its many possible interpretations. In a lot of ways it remains very open ended as to its meaning, allowing it to be applicable in many different situations.
Collector’s Name: Madison Minsk
Tags/Keywords:
- Verbal Lore
- Hebrew Proverb
- Relationships