Title: Rich Man

General Information about Item:

• Verbal Lore, proverb
• Language: Hebrew
• Informant: Jonathon Schneck
• Date Collected: 11-03-18

Informant Data:

• Jonathan Schneck is a student at Dartmouth College, and is currently a senior. He grew up in Long Island, New York. He attended North Shore Hebrew Academy High School. At Dartmouth, he is involved with Chabad, a Jewish student organization.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: This proverb has religious origins, demonstrating the importance of religious wisdom to this culture. It is said by Ben Zoma (a religious figure) in Chapter Four of Pirkei Avot. Pirkei Avot, known as Ethics of the Fathers in English, is a compilation of the ethical teachings passed down to the Rabbis.
• Social Context: Jonathon learned this proverb from his father. It is of special importance to him because his father used the proverb to encourage Jonathon to follow his passion and not to follow something for money, or the wrong reasons. This proverb was thus intentionally used to instill wisdom from one generation to the next, in the language of their religion.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

Translation: “Who is a rich man? One who is happy with his portion, as it is said, ‘You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors; you shall be happy and it will be good for you.’ ”

(Where the bolded first part has become the well known proverb)

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

Informant’s Comments:

• Jonathon appreciated the structure of this proverb, as it begins with a question and thus brings special attention to it.

Collector’s Comments:

• I especially like the rhythm of “Who is.. one who”, as it makes the proverb more memorable. It’s interesting this proverb addresses not comparing one’s self to others. I am curious if this is a common theme in the culture.

Collector’s Name: Madison Minsk

Tags/Keywords:

• Verbal Lore
• Hebrew Proverb
• Relationships

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

Title: 50 Plagues

General Information about Item:

• Verbal Lore, proverb
• Language: Hebrew
• Informant: Moshe Gray
• Date Collected: 10-24-18

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:

• Verbal Lore
• Hebrew Proverb
• Relationships