Tuesday, March 08, 2011

How Bad is Feeling Bad in Yiddish?

Joey was feeling very sick from the flu and was coughing uncontrollably. So much so that he could barely catch his breath and had a severe case of laryngitis.

When he stopped coughing someone asked: “Joey, how are you feeling?”

Joey said, in Yiddish: Vee a mushumad ven er kumt af yenner velt.”

Translation: Like a meshumad i.e. a Jewish convert to Christianity when he comes into the next world and realizes that he made a mistake.

This is not in the Rambam. Nonetheless, it is a colorful analogy in a Yiddish expression that is worthy of note.