Born to Kvetch
Encyclopedia
Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods is a 2005 book by Michael Wex
devoted to Yiddish. In this book, "Wex is a rare combination of Jewish comic
and scholarly cultural analyst".
The book became a New York Times Bestseller
and was followed by a Yiddish phrasebook Just Say Nu.
The book is about cultural and religious influences in Yiddish language, and how the Jewish worldview is reflected in Yiddish, putting the main focus on Yiddish as a language of opposition (or "language of aggravation, of exile and alienation" as Allan Nadler
puts it) during their life in diaspora
often within hostile cultures. The Yiddish word "kvetch" in the book title means "to complain", "to whine", expressing Wex's idea that Yiddish is the language of complaint, which is rooted in the millennia of Jewish exile
. William Grimes in his review of the book quotes it: "Judaism is defined by exile, and exile without complaint is tourism
". Other flavors of Yiddish associated with the first one noted by Wex is that it is the language of dispute (influence of the tradition of Talmud
ic commentary) and the language rich in insults, curses and other unpleasant things. As Wex wittingly notes: "A simple kvetch is a descriptive activity that conveys disapproval... a knole (curse
)", on the other hand, is a kvetch with a mission".
Michael Wex
Michael Wex is a Canadian novelist, playwright, translator, lecturer, performer, and author of books on language and literature. His specialty is Yiddish and his book Born to Kvetch was a surprise bestseller in 2005...
devoted to Yiddish. In this book, "Wex is a rare combination of Jewish comic
Jewish humor
Jewish humour is the long tradition of humour in Judaism dating back to the Torah and the Midrash from the ancient mid-east, but generally refers to the more recent stream of verbal, self-deprecating, crude, and often anecdotal humour originating in Eastern Europe and which took root in the United...
and scholarly cultural analyst".
The book became a New York Times Bestseller
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
and was followed by a Yiddish phrasebook Just Say Nu.
The book is about cultural and religious influences in Yiddish language, and how the Jewish worldview is reflected in Yiddish, putting the main focus on Yiddish as a language of opposition (or "language of aggravation, of exile and alienation" as Allan Nadler
Allan Nadler
Allan L. Nadler was educated at McGill and Harvard University, where he received his doctorate in 1988. He is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.Nadler was ordained as an Orthodox Rabbi by Rabbis Aryeh Leib Baron of...
puts it) during their life in diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
often within hostile cultures. The Yiddish word "kvetch" in the book title means "to complain", "to whine", expressing Wex's idea that Yiddish is the language of complaint, which is rooted in the millennia of Jewish exile
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
. William Grimes in his review of the book quotes it: "Judaism is defined by exile, and exile without complaint is tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
". Other flavors of Yiddish associated with the first one noted by Wex is that it is the language of dispute (influence of the tradition of Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic commentary) and the language rich in insults, curses and other unpleasant things. As Wex wittingly notes: "A simple kvetch is a descriptive activity that conveys disapproval... a knole (curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
)", on the other hand, is a kvetch with a mission".