Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

PIOUS WRAPPINGS, TROUBLING INSIDES

2008; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 7; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14725880802405019

1472-5894

Zelda Kahan Newman, Noga Rubin,

Medieval Literature and History

Abstract In this article, the authors show that four different genres of Ashkenazi literature, three in Yiddish, and one in Hebrew, share a common trait. All couch a socially troubling story in a pious frame—front and back. These socially troubling stories—apparently a reflection of social reality—concern women drinking in public, homosexuality, sexual abuse in the family and parental control over daughters that guaranteed their unhappiness. It is suggested that these stories need to be seen in the context of non‐Jewish European stories that surrounded them and preceded them, and that these stories constitute the beginnings of modern conscious storytelling in Ashkenazi society. Notes 1. The original text is in the Bodleian Library, Oxford opp. 8° 556 (2). 2. In the paper entitled “A New Beautiful Poem about Three Women: A Purim Poem” (to be published in Hebrew) we support our claim that the poem was intended for Purim despite the fact that the word “Purim” is never mentioned. Our argument rests largely on known communal behaviour and customs, as well as midrashim on the Purim Scroll and a crucial “hole” in the text of the Scroll. 3. From the text it is not entirely clear whether this should be as we rendered it, or instead: “My pants and what’s related to them.” We opted for the more conservative understanding. 4. A very popular ethical book in Yiddish. It was written by Isaac ben Eliakum from Posen. The book was first published in Prague in 1620. Since then, over fifty editions of this Yiddish book have been published. 5. Sefer Lev Tov, Prague 1620. 111 b (column b)–112 a (column a). For more information, see Rubin (123–34). 6. In all the other versions (Hebrew and Yiddish) instead of “glutton”, we find “lazy”. 7. In all the other versions the attitude of the father‐in‐law is gentler, and it is obvious that his intention was to help the girl get rid of her problem. 8. In all the other versions it is not clear where exactly the father was hidden. 9. In all the other versions it seems that he only comes nearer to her. 10. Our claim becomes clearer in this specific version. 11. Khavot Yair, Responsa of Rabbi Ya’ir Chaim, son of Moshe Shimshon Bachrach (born in 1638 in Moravia and died in 1702). It appeared in its first edition in 1699. Copies of that edition are in the National Library of the Hebrew University, the Tel Aviv Public Library, the Bar Ilan University Library and the library of Ben‐Gurion University of the Negev. Later editions appeared in 1894, 1968, 1973 and 1997 and are in the library of Yeshivat Har Etzion, with the last one being an annotated scholarly edition. 12. Although the institution of matchmaking is never mentioned in this story, the reader who knows the cultural norms of this society cannot help but realize that Bachrach is suggesting a subtle criticism here. This observation was made by Reiner (4). 13. The story “A Slanderer Kills Three” appears in many different versions from the beginning of the fourth century. These were in a variety of different Jewish languages, in Ashkenaz and elsewhere. A careful examination of the sources chosen by the author of the Sefer Lev Tov shows that he chose the versions that emphasize the “active” role of the father‐in‐law, one which makes his behaviour most disturbing. In some versions he simply pats the daughter‐in‐law, while here it is quite clear that more is happening. The fact that there are only two editions of Ben Sira in which this story appears suggests that even early authors found the story problematical. Our suggestion is that simply by placing it inside this “pious frame”, the author indicates that the behaviour was something that was known to have occurred and that society found it troubling. 14. For a connection between Italian (non‐Jewish) literature in general—Boccaccio in particular—and Yiddish literature, see Shmeruk (119–40), who specifically mentions the translations of Boccaccio into Yiddish and his influence on Yiddish literature. 15. To be sure, Chaucer elaborated greatly on this form and created sustained, dramatic monologues and dialogues that went well beyond the original French fabliaux. For more on this, see Muscatine (5–8, 60–4, 81). 16. As Reiner (2–3) wrote: “It is possible that the writing of such a story without a smokescreen was difficult for a writer of his [Bachrach’s ZKN] standing as a Torah scholar, a man of the élite of contemporary Ashkenazic society. … The writing of the story by a man of Bachrach’s standing and position tells us about the penetration, or perhaps slow absorption, quite possibly unconscious, of European culture into the urban Jewish society that lived in its midst.” 17. To be sure, modern literary research has shown that even folk tales are not the simplistic, psychologically uncomplicated stories they were once thought to be (see, e.g., Bettelheim; Renan).