[Avodah] [Areivim] 65 Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to First Child in Bnei Brak

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 02:16:59PM +0000, Kenneth Miller via Areivim wrote:
: If we were speaking Lashon Hakodesh, you'd be correct - Bar Mitzvah is
: a noun, and only a noun. However, we are clearly speaking English, and
: several dictionaries tell me that in English, "Bar Mitzvah" is both a noun
: and a verb. See, for example, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bar+mitzvah
: which gives "bar mitzvahed" (and other forms) as examples.

: Languages are funny this way. Stuff can change when a word enters a
: new language.

However, there is no real concept correspnding to the English word "bar
mitzvahed". The borrowing was primarily done by non-traditional Jews,
who think that being called up to the Torah changes your status.

But in reality, "bar mitzvahed" makes as much sense as saying someone
pubertied or menopaused. We O could borrow the word as shorthand for
"became a bar mitzah" but since the original borrowing is really based
on a misunderstanding of the Torah, why should we? It'll just make it
harder to clear up the mistake.


: If I'm not mistaken, the Yiddish word for "holiday" is pronounced
: "yuntif", and it is spelled "yud vav memsofit blankspace tes vav beis",
: and is considered a single word despite the fact...

IIRC, on the NY State Yiddish Regents Examination in the late 1970s,
it was spelled as it sounds, one word, yud-alef-nun-tes-eyin-ende fei
(w/ a refuyah line over it).

(R' Riskin, whose HS I attended, required a foreign language, and Hebrew
doesn't count as "foreign". The Hebrew Regents exam was a separate
requirement to graduate. As was Red Cross swimming certification and you
could choose either CPR or First Aid. The latter two were because the
HS is the father's shaliach for all of chinukh and education. Anyway,
I already had some background in Yiddish, and I heard that the Yiddish
regents eere easier than more popular languages like Spanish or French,
so...)

But the, Chassidishe Yiddish and YIVO Yiddish (the legacy of Litvishe
Yiddishists) are different dialects.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 46th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        6 weeks and 4 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Netzach sheb'Malchus: How can some forms of
Fax: (270) 514-1507                         "unity" be over domineering?