Lakhn Mit Yashcherkes
Over Pesach my dear old friend Sol taught me an expression, which he used several times. The phrase is "Lakhn mit yashcherkes," which means, idiomatically, laughing with tears. I speak regularly over Pesach and often use anecdotes and example in public speeches, discussions, games, workshops and also in private conversations. During my talk on humor, Sol introduced the phrase in regard to many (of my) Jewish jokes.
Privately I told Sol about a recent New Yorker cartoon in which you one of those long slave row boats that I think were used for some form of torture. The boat is mostly empty except for two guys, a few spaces apart, on opposite sides of the boat, each one working hard with their oar to keep the entire ship afloat. One turns to the other and says, "I'm just happy to have a job." That brought the saying to his mind once more.
I found this interesting piece (which I'll post as the first comment to economize space.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 11:34 PM
4 Comments:
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 92 12:21 - From:
ROBERT.ROTHSTEIN@SLAVIC.umass.edu
Subject: "Lakhn mit yashcherkes"
Those of you who read the English "Forward" may have noticed the column by "Philologos" in response to a question about the Yiddish expression meaning "to laugh through tears." For those who didn't read the column and don't know the expression, the expression literally means"to laugh with lizards" and uses a Slavic-origin word for"lizard."
"Philologos" was unable to provide an etymology for the expression--as am I--but the column provoked me to send its author the following reply, which may be of interest:
Your April 3 column on "lakhn mit yashcherkes," a subject discussed inconclusively in the Yiddish "Forverts"not so long ago, cited a Yiddish-speaking acquaintance of Professor Leonard Prager, who "seemed to remember an Eastern European folk belief that lizards were able to laugh." That started me looking, and I have come up with a Belorussian folktale that may (or may not) be relevant to the Yiddish expression.
According to the Belorussian folklorist Lev Barag, who first published it, the oldest literary version of the tale can be found in the Sanskrit "Panchatantra" - "The Musician and the Lizard" (a variant of international folk-tale motif #285, "The Child and theSnake") tells of a down-on-his-luck peasant who was playing his violin to take his mind off his troubles. A lizard came out of its hole to listen to the sad music, and when the musician switched to happy music, the lizard started dancing. When the musician finished playing, the lizard gave him a ruble. The incident repeated itself and gradually the peasant's economic situation improved.
His wife was curious about the source of this new-found fortune, and he reluctantly told her the story. She accused him of dealing with the devil and insisted that he take an ax with him thenext time and kill the lizard. He obeyed and took an ax along but could not bring himself to kill the lizard. When the lizard was leaving, however, he did swing the ax at itand chopped off its tail. In response the lizard bit offthe peasant's nose.
The peasant had to spend all his money on doctors for his nose and returned to his original impoverished state. One day he was again playing his violin on the old spot and the lizard reappeared. The peasant apologized profusely for having listened to his wife and having chopped off the lizard's tail. The lizard assured him that it held no grudge, but said that every time he looked at the peasant's nose, it reminded him of his tail.
The story doesn't say anything about the musician laughing at this point (together with the lizard?), but if he (they) did, it would presumably be laughter through tears. Thus a possible "explanation" of "lakhn mit yashcherkes"--offered purely in the spirit of folk etymology.
Bob Rothstein
That cartoon is my life right now.
If the story would have them laughing, nu, maybe. Without it, it has nothing to recommend it as a source for the saying except that it is about a lizard. That's kind of weak.
Alan Furst has a character in a couple of his novels called Yascherke (sp?), the Lizard.
Meant to say, Furst is a wonderful writer. If you haven't read him, you should.
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