The Lehman Trilogy, page 57
—he was in government with Nixon—
when the United States
opened the Chinese markets
sending a ping-pong team
to Peking.
Now he wants to do the same here.
Or isn’t it a good idea?
Greek-Hungarian
ping-pong.
Ball in play.
“My dear Glucksman, what do you wish to talk about?”
“Me? Nothing.”
“And yet you’re here.”
“You know why.”
“I can guess.”
“No hide-and-seek.”
“As you wish.”
“Talk straight.”
“You talk.”
“You’re the president.”
“I am.”
“Exactly.”
“Go ahead.”
“Well you shouldn’t be.”
Ball over the line.
Hungary has responded too strongly.
Peterson smiles.
He does it brilliantly.
1-0 for Greece.
Ball back in play.
“My dear Glucksman
what do you mean?”
“Enough is enough!”
“Enough what?”
“Of playing the king.”
“Me, a king?”
“You’re president!”
“Perhaps you want . . .”
“I want the bank!”
Ball over the line.
Hungary is tense.
Peterson smiles.
He does it brilliantly.
2-0 for Greece.
Ball back in play.
“My dear Glucksman, aren’t you going too far?”
“Not at all!”
“A bank is a bank.”
“We are the ones who run it.”
“You think so?”
“I have the figures.”
“I would say . . .”
“Enough is enough!”
Hungary throws down the bat
takes the ball and flattens it under his heel.
End of game
for ping-pong’s a dance
and
as young Dick Fuld would say:
“Squash, oh yes, that’s a sport for men.”
Perfect.
Glucksman now takes over the game.
And it will be squash, to the last shot
where whoever hits hardest wins.
Ball into play.
“So, Peterson, I deserve the bank.”
“The whole bank in the hands of your group?”
“Always better than your dregs.”
“Isn’t it better to keep our roles separate?”
“Half the dish is not enough for me!”
“You want to scarf the entire bowl.”
“Anything to get it away from the mice in the bank!”
“And if the bowl is not in agreement?”
Hungary loses the ball.
Advantage to Greece.
Peterson smiles.
He does it brilliantly.
The ball is back in play.
“I was saying, Glucksman, that you are not well liked.”
“You mean, by the partners? I couldn’t care less: they’re too old.”
“And if the old ones withdraw their share?”
“They won’t: and if they do, I’ll pay up.”
“If they leave just ten of you, it will require a lot of money.”
“The money’s there, it won’t do any harm.”
“But in that case you’ll find yourself down.”
“I want the bank, I want your job!”
“To get rid of me will cost you millions.”
“Tell me how many, you’ll have the money tomorrow!”
Point in favor of Hungary.
But here
Greece interrupts the match:
takes the ball.
“I want a line of zeros and a percentage if you fail.”
“Meaning? Come on, less talk.”
“If you have to sell the Lehman Brothers shares
if you have to dispose of them to raise money
I will have a percentage on every sale.”
“What a crazy deal!”
“Agreed?”
“Agreed!”
“Lewis Glucksman
you are the new president!”
Where ping-pong failed
squash won the day.
Where table lamps failed
olives and capers triumphed.
Because
less than a year
after that meeting
Lehman Brothers
—the immortal name—
was on offer
to the best bidder.
It is bought
for a good price
by American Express.
Epilogue
Around the table
a glass table
glass the length of the whole room
in black chairs
it seems like Monday luncheon
even if it’s night,
indeed
soon
it will be dawn.
In the room, silence reigns.
A group of old men
are waiting for news.
Henry Lehman, at the head of the table.
It has always been his place.
Mayer Bulbe
sits beside him.
Emanuel is an arm
he wants to act:
on days like this
there’s no question of sitting about.
His son, Philip,
has a diary
in front of him;
pen in hand
writes phrases in block capitals.
The last of these
a moment ago says:
“I HAD NOT PREDICTED IT.”
Bobbie Lehman
is sitting beside his father:
his hand is trembling once more,
he bites his lip.
On the lapel of his white jacket
is a pin the shape of a horse.
Herbert the senator
adjusts the time on the wall clock,
though
time here
is a strange concept.
He still hasn’t understood it.
His son, Peter, in military uniform,
looks at him sadly and shakes his head.
On a sofa, under the window,
Sigmund sits in lightweight suit.
Round spectacles, dark lenses:
there was much sun on the decks of the boats.
His brother Arthur taps his fingers on the table:
“Will they have worked out
that a way out can always be found?
The situation is not desperate
according to my formulas.”
“The verdict has already been given” Irving replies,
readjusting the knot of his tie.
In the room, silence reigns.
A group of old men
are waiting for news.
Dreidel lights a cigar:
it’s the fifth,
for no one has had a wink of sleep since yesterday.
Harold stares at his brother:
“Don’t they say that every death is a birth?”
But Allan shakes his head:
“Ha! Babies bring a smile, but not death.”
David blows his nose violently,
almost blasting it off his face:
he has never learned to control his energy.
Then he folds the cotton handkerchief back in his pocket
takes a deep breath
looks at his father, Henry:
“And what’s his name?
I can never remember it.”
No one answers.
“I said: who in the end
was the last one, the last president?”
Philip leafs through his diary:
“Dick Fuld.”
Mayer Bulbe pulls a face
shrugs his shoulders:
he’s a boiled potato.
Emanuel
who was and still is an arm
kicks a chair
sending it into the middle.
Bobbie sighs.
Herbert Lehman
scratches his head:
“Maybe there’s still hope.”
“The verdict has already been given” Irving replies.
“Maybe another bank will help us out.”
Sigmund smiles, for he has completely forgotten
all of his 120 mitzvot.
Bobbie sighs:
“In 1929 we didn’t save any bank.
Out of choice.”
And silence reigns, once again, in the room.
A group of old men
waits for news.
The telephone rings.
All fourteen look at each other.
Henry moves.
Lifts the receiver.
Answers: “Hello.”
Then listens.
Looks at the others.
Hangs up.
“It died a minute ago.”
They stand up.
Around the table.
All of them.
They will grow their beards
in the coming days
as the ritual requires.
Shiva and sheloshim.
They will respect the Law
as it is prescribed
in every duty.
And morning and evening
they will recite the Qaddish.
As it used to be done over there in Germany
in Rimpar, Bavaria.
Glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish Words
ADAR—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to February–March.
ASARAH BE TEVET—festivity in remembrance of the siege of Jerusalem in 588 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar II. Literally “the tenth of the month of Tevet,” or the central day in the Hebrew month of Tevet.
AV—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to July–August.
AVRAHAM—Abraham, prophet.
(DER) BANKIR BRUDER—(the) brother banker.
BAR MITZVAH—(literally “son of the commandment”). Expression formed by bar (son) and mitzvah (commandment). This expression refers to the coming-of-age ceremony when an adolescent reaches religious maturity. From that day, the young man is no longer dependent on his father but becomes responsible for his own actions, assuming the rights and duties of an adult and therefore, if he commits a sin, is liable to punishment. The ceremony is conducted on the first Sabbath after the boy’s thirteenth birthday. His family meets at the synagogue, and during the ceremony he is invited for the first time to read the Torah.
BARUCH HASHEM—(literally “blessed the Name”). Thanks to God. HaShem (“the name”) is the reverential substitution for the divine name Jhwh, which cannot be pronounced.
BAT MITZVAH—(literally “daughter of the commandment”). Ceremony in which a young Jewish girl who has reached twelve acquires the status of “woman” and assumes the obligations of religious character.
BEIN HA-METZARIM—festivity to remember the destruction of the First and Second Temple of Jerusalem (586/7 BCE and 70 CE). Literally “three weeks between days of fasting” (of the Seventeenth of Tamuz and the Ninth of Av).
(DER) BOYKHREDER—Yiddish, (the) ventriloquist.
BULBE—Yiddish, potato.
CHAMETZ—Hebrew, leaven.
CHESHVAN—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding with October–November.
CHUPPAH—nuptial canopy under which the wedding ceremony takes place. It is a cloth supported on four poles held by four men. Once the couple leave the canopy they are united in matrimony.
DANIYEL—Daniel, the prophet.
DREIDEL—Yiddish, spinning top. A game traditionally played during the festival of Hanukkah. It is a four-sided spinning top on which each side bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which together represent the words “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham” (“A great miracle happened there”). These letters also form part of a mnemonic phrase that recalls the rules of the games in which the dreidel is used: Nun stands for the Yiddish word nisht (“nothing”), Hei stands for halb (“half”), Gimel for gants (“all”), and Shin for shtel ayn (“put in”).
DUKHAN—podium of the officiant in the synagogue, placed in front of the Ark/Aron.
EGEL HAZAHAV—the Golden Calf, symbol of idolatry, made by Aaron while Moses was on Mount Sinai.
ELUL—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to August–September.
GEFILTE FISH—Yiddish, fish balls.
GEMARA—(in Aramaic literally “conclusion,” “fulfillment”). Part of the Talmud that collects comments and discussions on the Mishnah developed during the fourth to sixth centuries CE. It is also used as a synonym for the Talmud as a whole. These teachings are written in the Eastern Aramaic language, so-called Talmudic Aramaic.
GHEVER—Hebrew, man.
(A) GLAZ BIKER—(a) glass of water.
GOLEM—formless material or mass. In the later tradition it indicates a clay being animated by the name of God and created to defend and serve the Jews of the ghetto.
GOLYAT—Goliath.
HAFTARAH—(literally “separation,” “parting,” “taking leave”). Probably derives from the root patar, which means “to conclude,” “to terminate.” Indicates a selection from the books of the prophets or the hagiographies that follow the reading of the passage of the Torah (parashah) in the synagogue ritual of the Sabbath and festival days.
HALAKHA—(literally “path to follow”) conduct, behavior. The written and oral prescriptive part of the Torah containing legal material that regulates conduct and daily life. The halakha is regarded as the revelation received by Moses on Mount Sinai and is contained in the Torah, both in writing (Pentateuch) and above all orally, later codified in the Mishnah, in the Talmud and in the midrashim, known as the halakhic midrashim.
HANUKKAH—(literally “dedication”), the Festival of Lights, commemorating the reconsecration (Dedication) of the Temple of Jerusalem in 164 CE by Judas Maccabeus. The festival begins at sunset on the twenty-fourth of the month of Kislev (usually in December) and lasts eight days, during which the candles of the eight-branch candelabrum are lit one by one.
HASELE—Yiddish, rabbit.
HASHEM—(literally, “the name”). Expression of reverence in substitution for the divine name Jhwh, used in the Bible and in the Hebrew tradition.
IYAR—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to April–May.
(DER) KARTYOZHNIK—Yiddish, (the) card player.
KATAN—Hebrew, child.
KETUBAH—the marriage contract. The parchment containing the wording of the contract is often richly decorated with designs and symbols. It sets out the husband’s financial obligations toward his wife, seeking to protect her in the event of divorce. According to Jewish custom, the husband alone can request a divorce and has to pay a large sum of money to his wife. The ketubah is signed by the husband and handed to the wife; the wedding blessings are then recited.
KIDDUSHIN—the rituals of the wedding ceremony.
KISLEV—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to November–December.
KOSHER—complying with Jewish dietary laws.
LAG BA OMER—religious festival celebrated on the thirty-third day of Omer, the day that marked the end of the plague that killed disciples of Rabbi Akiva. The mourning and restrictions observed during the period of Omer are suspended, and the day is celebrated with outings, music, and various kinds of entertainment for children.
LIBE—Yiddish, love.
LUFTMENSCH—Yiddish, dream man, dreamer.
MAMELE/MAME—Yiddish, Mamma, mom, dear mom.
MAZEL TOV—(literally, “good star”), “good luck, congratulations.” Expression used to convey congratulations and best wishes during celebrations such as Bar Mitzvahs.
MEZUZAH—(literally “doorpost”). The word refers to a ritual object, a parchment on which are written the passages of the Torah corresponding to the first two parts of the Shema, a prayer of central importance to the Jewish religion. The mezuzah is placed on the doorpost, to the right as one enters, at a height of about two-thirds of the door, and in any event at hand height.
MIGDOL BAVEL—Hebrew, the Tower of Babel.
MILAH—circumcision. It represents the consecration of the pact established between the people of Israel and God since the time of Abraham. It is mitzvah to subject the Jewish baby to milah on the eighth day after birth, even if that day coincides with the Shabbat, with holy days, and with Yom Kippur.
MISHNAH—from the Hebrew word that means “recite the lessons,” “study and review.” The Mishnah, which is the code of oral tradition, the body of teaching passed down by Moses, has become one of the two parts of the Talmud (the second is the Gemara). The final version of the Mishnah dates from the end of the second century CE and includes sixty-three tractates divided into six orders regarding religious regulations, social relations, civil and criminal law, marriage, etc.
MITZVOT—the commandments that God gives to every Jew. They are contained in the Torah and have the purpose of teaching man to live according to the will of God. There are 613, of which 365 negative and 248 positive. There is another classification of the mitzvot. There are horizontal mitzvot, which deal with relations with other humans, and vertical mitzvot, which deal with relations between man and God.
MOSHE—Moses.
NER TAMID—(literally “eternal light”), oil lamp that hangs from the ceiling of the synagogue, in front of the Aron, and is permanently lit in remembrance of the seven-branch candelabrum at the Temple of Jerusalem.
NISAN—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to March–April.
NOACH—Noah, patriarch.
PESACH—Passover (literally “passage”). Festival that commemorates the Flight of the Jews into Egypt. The main festival of the year.
PURIM—(literally “lots,” “fates”), festival that commemorates the freeing of the Jews from massacre by Hamam, principal minister of King Ahasuerus of Persia in the fifth century BCE, as described in the Megillah of the Book of Esther. It is celebrated on the fourteenth of Adar and is the most joyous festival of the Jewish calendar, equivalent in spirit to the Christian carnival. It is customary to wear masks.
QADDISH—(literally “sanctification”), one of the oldest and most solemn Jewish prayers recited only in the presence of a minyan comprising at least ten Jewish males who have reached thirteen, the age of religious majority, from which every Jew is required to observe the precepts of the Torah. The central theme is the exaltation, magnification, and sanctification of the name of God.
when the United States
opened the Chinese markets
sending a ping-pong team
to Peking.
Now he wants to do the same here.
Or isn’t it a good idea?
Greek-Hungarian
ping-pong.
Ball in play.
“My dear Glucksman, what do you wish to talk about?”
“Me? Nothing.”
“And yet you’re here.”
“You know why.”
“I can guess.”
“No hide-and-seek.”
“As you wish.”
“Talk straight.”
“You talk.”
“You’re the president.”
“I am.”
“Exactly.”
“Go ahead.”
“Well you shouldn’t be.”
Ball over the line.
Hungary has responded too strongly.
Peterson smiles.
He does it brilliantly.
1-0 for Greece.
Ball back in play.
“My dear Glucksman
what do you mean?”
“Enough is enough!”
“Enough what?”
“Of playing the king.”
“Me, a king?”
“You’re president!”
“Perhaps you want . . .”
“I want the bank!”
Ball over the line.
Hungary is tense.
Peterson smiles.
He does it brilliantly.
2-0 for Greece.
Ball back in play.
“My dear Glucksman, aren’t you going too far?”
“Not at all!”
“A bank is a bank.”
“We are the ones who run it.”
“You think so?”
“I have the figures.”
“I would say . . .”
“Enough is enough!”
Hungary throws down the bat
takes the ball and flattens it under his heel.
End of game
for ping-pong’s a dance
and
as young Dick Fuld would say:
“Squash, oh yes, that’s a sport for men.”
Perfect.
Glucksman now takes over the game.
And it will be squash, to the last shot
where whoever hits hardest wins.
Ball into play.
“So, Peterson, I deserve the bank.”
“The whole bank in the hands of your group?”
“Always better than your dregs.”
“Isn’t it better to keep our roles separate?”
“Half the dish is not enough for me!”
“You want to scarf the entire bowl.”
“Anything to get it away from the mice in the bank!”
“And if the bowl is not in agreement?”
Hungary loses the ball.
Advantage to Greece.
Peterson smiles.
He does it brilliantly.
The ball is back in play.
“I was saying, Glucksman, that you are not well liked.”
“You mean, by the partners? I couldn’t care less: they’re too old.”
“And if the old ones withdraw their share?”
“They won’t: and if they do, I’ll pay up.”
“If they leave just ten of you, it will require a lot of money.”
“The money’s there, it won’t do any harm.”
“But in that case you’ll find yourself down.”
“I want the bank, I want your job!”
“To get rid of me will cost you millions.”
“Tell me how many, you’ll have the money tomorrow!”
Point in favor of Hungary.
But here
Greece interrupts the match:
takes the ball.
“I want a line of zeros and a percentage if you fail.”
“Meaning? Come on, less talk.”
“If you have to sell the Lehman Brothers shares
if you have to dispose of them to raise money
I will have a percentage on every sale.”
“What a crazy deal!”
“Agreed?”
“Agreed!”
“Lewis Glucksman
you are the new president!”
Where ping-pong failed
squash won the day.
Where table lamps failed
olives and capers triumphed.
Because
less than a year
after that meeting
Lehman Brothers
—the immortal name—
was on offer
to the best bidder.
It is bought
for a good price
by American Express.
Epilogue
Around the table
a glass table
glass the length of the whole room
in black chairs
it seems like Monday luncheon
even if it’s night,
indeed
soon
it will be dawn.
In the room, silence reigns.
A group of old men
are waiting for news.
Henry Lehman, at the head of the table.
It has always been his place.
Mayer Bulbe
sits beside him.
Emanuel is an arm
he wants to act:
on days like this
there’s no question of sitting about.
His son, Philip,
has a diary
in front of him;
pen in hand
writes phrases in block capitals.
The last of these
a moment ago says:
“I HAD NOT PREDICTED IT.”
Bobbie Lehman
is sitting beside his father:
his hand is trembling once more,
he bites his lip.
On the lapel of his white jacket
is a pin the shape of a horse.
Herbert the senator
adjusts the time on the wall clock,
though
time here
is a strange concept.
He still hasn’t understood it.
His son, Peter, in military uniform,
looks at him sadly and shakes his head.
On a sofa, under the window,
Sigmund sits in lightweight suit.
Round spectacles, dark lenses:
there was much sun on the decks of the boats.
His brother Arthur taps his fingers on the table:
“Will they have worked out
that a way out can always be found?
The situation is not desperate
according to my formulas.”
“The verdict has already been given” Irving replies,
readjusting the knot of his tie.
In the room, silence reigns.
A group of old men
are waiting for news.
Dreidel lights a cigar:
it’s the fifth,
for no one has had a wink of sleep since yesterday.
Harold stares at his brother:
“Don’t they say that every death is a birth?”
But Allan shakes his head:
“Ha! Babies bring a smile, but not death.”
David blows his nose violently,
almost blasting it off his face:
he has never learned to control his energy.
Then he folds the cotton handkerchief back in his pocket
takes a deep breath
looks at his father, Henry:
“And what’s his name?
I can never remember it.”
No one answers.
“I said: who in the end
was the last one, the last president?”
Philip leafs through his diary:
“Dick Fuld.”
Mayer Bulbe pulls a face
shrugs his shoulders:
he’s a boiled potato.
Emanuel
who was and still is an arm
kicks a chair
sending it into the middle.
Bobbie sighs.
Herbert Lehman
scratches his head:
“Maybe there’s still hope.”
“The verdict has already been given” Irving replies.
“Maybe another bank will help us out.”
Sigmund smiles, for he has completely forgotten
all of his 120 mitzvot.
Bobbie sighs:
“In 1929 we didn’t save any bank.
Out of choice.”
And silence reigns, once again, in the room.
A group of old men
waits for news.
The telephone rings.
All fourteen look at each other.
Henry moves.
Lifts the receiver.
Answers: “Hello.”
Then listens.
Looks at the others.
Hangs up.
“It died a minute ago.”
They stand up.
Around the table.
All of them.
They will grow their beards
in the coming days
as the ritual requires.
Shiva and sheloshim.
They will respect the Law
as it is prescribed
in every duty.
And morning and evening
they will recite the Qaddish.
As it used to be done over there in Germany
in Rimpar, Bavaria.
Glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish Words
ADAR—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to February–March.
ASARAH BE TEVET—festivity in remembrance of the siege of Jerusalem in 588 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar II. Literally “the tenth of the month of Tevet,” or the central day in the Hebrew month of Tevet.
AV—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to July–August.
AVRAHAM—Abraham, prophet.
(DER) BANKIR BRUDER—(the) brother banker.
BAR MITZVAH—(literally “son of the commandment”). Expression formed by bar (son) and mitzvah (commandment). This expression refers to the coming-of-age ceremony when an adolescent reaches religious maturity. From that day, the young man is no longer dependent on his father but becomes responsible for his own actions, assuming the rights and duties of an adult and therefore, if he commits a sin, is liable to punishment. The ceremony is conducted on the first Sabbath after the boy’s thirteenth birthday. His family meets at the synagogue, and during the ceremony he is invited for the first time to read the Torah.
BARUCH HASHEM—(literally “blessed the Name”). Thanks to God. HaShem (“the name”) is the reverential substitution for the divine name Jhwh, which cannot be pronounced.
BAT MITZVAH—(literally “daughter of the commandment”). Ceremony in which a young Jewish girl who has reached twelve acquires the status of “woman” and assumes the obligations of religious character.
BEIN HA-METZARIM—festivity to remember the destruction of the First and Second Temple of Jerusalem (586/7 BCE and 70 CE). Literally “three weeks between days of fasting” (of the Seventeenth of Tamuz and the Ninth of Av).
(DER) BOYKHREDER—Yiddish, (the) ventriloquist.
BULBE—Yiddish, potato.
CHAMETZ—Hebrew, leaven.
CHESHVAN—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding with October–November.
CHUPPAH—nuptial canopy under which the wedding ceremony takes place. It is a cloth supported on four poles held by four men. Once the couple leave the canopy they are united in matrimony.
DANIYEL—Daniel, the prophet.
DREIDEL—Yiddish, spinning top. A game traditionally played during the festival of Hanukkah. It is a four-sided spinning top on which each side bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which together represent the words “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham” (“A great miracle happened there”). These letters also form part of a mnemonic phrase that recalls the rules of the games in which the dreidel is used: Nun stands for the Yiddish word nisht (“nothing”), Hei stands for halb (“half”), Gimel for gants (“all”), and Shin for shtel ayn (“put in”).
DUKHAN—podium of the officiant in the synagogue, placed in front of the Ark/Aron.
EGEL HAZAHAV—the Golden Calf, symbol of idolatry, made by Aaron while Moses was on Mount Sinai.
ELUL—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to August–September.
GEFILTE FISH—Yiddish, fish balls.
GEMARA—(in Aramaic literally “conclusion,” “fulfillment”). Part of the Talmud that collects comments and discussions on the Mishnah developed during the fourth to sixth centuries CE. It is also used as a synonym for the Talmud as a whole. These teachings are written in the Eastern Aramaic language, so-called Talmudic Aramaic.
GHEVER—Hebrew, man.
(A) GLAZ BIKER—(a) glass of water.
GOLEM—formless material or mass. In the later tradition it indicates a clay being animated by the name of God and created to defend and serve the Jews of the ghetto.
GOLYAT—Goliath.
HAFTARAH—(literally “separation,” “parting,” “taking leave”). Probably derives from the root patar, which means “to conclude,” “to terminate.” Indicates a selection from the books of the prophets or the hagiographies that follow the reading of the passage of the Torah (parashah) in the synagogue ritual of the Sabbath and festival days.
HALAKHA—(literally “path to follow”) conduct, behavior. The written and oral prescriptive part of the Torah containing legal material that regulates conduct and daily life. The halakha is regarded as the revelation received by Moses on Mount Sinai and is contained in the Torah, both in writing (Pentateuch) and above all orally, later codified in the Mishnah, in the Talmud and in the midrashim, known as the halakhic midrashim.
HANUKKAH—(literally “dedication”), the Festival of Lights, commemorating the reconsecration (Dedication) of the Temple of Jerusalem in 164 CE by Judas Maccabeus. The festival begins at sunset on the twenty-fourth of the month of Kislev (usually in December) and lasts eight days, during which the candles of the eight-branch candelabrum are lit one by one.
HASELE—Yiddish, rabbit.
HASHEM—(literally, “the name”). Expression of reverence in substitution for the divine name Jhwh, used in the Bible and in the Hebrew tradition.
IYAR—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to April–May.
(DER) KARTYOZHNIK—Yiddish, (the) card player.
KATAN—Hebrew, child.
KETUBAH—the marriage contract. The parchment containing the wording of the contract is often richly decorated with designs and symbols. It sets out the husband’s financial obligations toward his wife, seeking to protect her in the event of divorce. According to Jewish custom, the husband alone can request a divorce and has to pay a large sum of money to his wife. The ketubah is signed by the husband and handed to the wife; the wedding blessings are then recited.
KIDDUSHIN—the rituals of the wedding ceremony.
KISLEV—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to November–December.
KOSHER—complying with Jewish dietary laws.
LAG BA OMER—religious festival celebrated on the thirty-third day of Omer, the day that marked the end of the plague that killed disciples of Rabbi Akiva. The mourning and restrictions observed during the period of Omer are suspended, and the day is celebrated with outings, music, and various kinds of entertainment for children.
LIBE—Yiddish, love.
LUFTMENSCH—Yiddish, dream man, dreamer.
MAMELE/MAME—Yiddish, Mamma, mom, dear mom.
MAZEL TOV—(literally, “good star”), “good luck, congratulations.” Expression used to convey congratulations and best wishes during celebrations such as Bar Mitzvahs.
MEZUZAH—(literally “doorpost”). The word refers to a ritual object, a parchment on which are written the passages of the Torah corresponding to the first two parts of the Shema, a prayer of central importance to the Jewish religion. The mezuzah is placed on the doorpost, to the right as one enters, at a height of about two-thirds of the door, and in any event at hand height.
MIGDOL BAVEL—Hebrew, the Tower of Babel.
MILAH—circumcision. It represents the consecration of the pact established between the people of Israel and God since the time of Abraham. It is mitzvah to subject the Jewish baby to milah on the eighth day after birth, even if that day coincides with the Shabbat, with holy days, and with Yom Kippur.
MISHNAH—from the Hebrew word that means “recite the lessons,” “study and review.” The Mishnah, which is the code of oral tradition, the body of teaching passed down by Moses, has become one of the two parts of the Talmud (the second is the Gemara). The final version of the Mishnah dates from the end of the second century CE and includes sixty-three tractates divided into six orders regarding religious regulations, social relations, civil and criminal law, marriage, etc.
MITZVOT—the commandments that God gives to every Jew. They are contained in the Torah and have the purpose of teaching man to live according to the will of God. There are 613, of which 365 negative and 248 positive. There is another classification of the mitzvot. There are horizontal mitzvot, which deal with relations with other humans, and vertical mitzvot, which deal with relations between man and God.
MOSHE—Moses.
NER TAMID—(literally “eternal light”), oil lamp that hangs from the ceiling of the synagogue, in front of the Aron, and is permanently lit in remembrance of the seven-branch candelabrum at the Temple of Jerusalem.
NISAN—month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to March–April.
NOACH—Noah, patriarch.
PESACH—Passover (literally “passage”). Festival that commemorates the Flight of the Jews into Egypt. The main festival of the year.
PURIM—(literally “lots,” “fates”), festival that commemorates the freeing of the Jews from massacre by Hamam, principal minister of King Ahasuerus of Persia in the fifth century BCE, as described in the Megillah of the Book of Esther. It is celebrated on the fourteenth of Adar and is the most joyous festival of the Jewish calendar, equivalent in spirit to the Christian carnival. It is customary to wear masks.
QADDISH—(literally “sanctification”), one of the oldest and most solemn Jewish prayers recited only in the presence of a minyan comprising at least ten Jewish males who have reached thirteen, the age of religious majority, from which every Jew is required to observe the precepts of the Torah. The central theme is the exaltation, magnification, and sanctification of the name of God.
