Shared L
Nothing defines commotion more than a busy New York subway station. Still, riding the subway, although crowded, can be an isolating experience. Rarely do strangers talk with one another. People avoid eye contact and often speak different languages. Everybody is traveling – but from different place, to different places.
Once, I was getting off the subway at a busy station. A woman, walking quickly in the opposite direction, bumped into me. We both kept walking – but she called over her shoulder the Hebrew word “S’liach” – then realized her mistake and called out, “I mean, ‘I am sorry.’” I called back to her “Bebakasha” – which in this usage roughly mean “no worries.” We both turned, looking at one another, laughed and then continued in our opposite directions. In the commotion, in the isolation, we created connection through shared language. The subway seemed a little less chaotic, a little less lonely.
Here are some of my favorite Jewish words and expressions. What are some of yours?
Yalla- יאללה – “Let’s Go!”
Klutz – well, a klutzy person!
Kvell – bursting with pride
Balagan – total confusion
Tachles- תכלס – “In reality” “the bottom line”
Ein beaya - אין בעיה – “No problem”
Lehitraot – להתראות – “See you soon” Literally, the reflexive form of “to see.”
My family and I are headed up to New York City this week for the first time since the pandemic began. I visited New York for a quick conference at the end of February 2020, so just a few weeks before the pandemic began. I think back on short trip as one of the last “normal” things that I did before Covid. This week, we will be visiting many family members and friends – people who we have missed over the past year. Even though we spent the last year and a half in our own pods, I suspect that shared language will come quickly.
If you like language, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz runs a "word of the day" column with goes in-depth into words and their cultural connection. I recommend it!
Rabbi Cohen