Sunday, June 7, 2009

Chaim Dovid in Cleaveland Tonight: The Double Meaning

I was zoche to be by some great chevra with Chaim Dovid last night and found out that Chaim Dovid would be in Cleaveland tonight. It got me to thinking about the double meaning of that word, "Cleave."

On one hand, to "cleave" it means "to split apart," as in the word "cleaver." on the other hand, it means to attach, or to be medabek one thing to another. I was wondering about why this word seems to have two opposite meanings. One one hand, it means to split apart or separate, to create a pirud. On the other hand, it means to attach, unify and connect, to be me'acheid.

I then realized that Cleaveland is a land where people have the choice to either create pirud, division between parts of their lives and between themselves and the Master of the World. Or they can create unity within themselves and unity with the Eibishter.

They can choose which meaning "cleave" will take on for their city!

Cleaveland Jewish News. com: B’nai Jeshurun Congregation’s Israeli and Chasidic Festival of Music is at 7. Featuring Chaim Dovid Saracik, Ariel Zilber, Aharon Razel and Cantor Aaron Shifman. Tickets, 216-831-6555 or at the door.

9 comments:

micha berger said...

Sometimes, when I give my name, people assume they misheard "Micha'el" or "Michl". So, I correct them, but to be softer about it, I tend to do it with humor.

"Micha. Like in Terei Asar. Or perhaps like in Shofetim. After you know me a while, you can decide which."

-micha

DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

But I think 90% of Yiddin wouldn't get that!

Anonymous said...

The GRA says somthing like this on the word Bris.

DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

What are the two meanings of bris?

I could hear the expression "koreis" bris. B/c koreis means to cut and it means to seal (close) a covenant/agreement... Thanks for the clarification!

Chana said...

A few weeks ago, Rabbi Lazer Brody (translator of Garden of Emunah/ Peace) came to Cleveland from EY to speak. He opened up with the same vort- Cleveland is a place where the people cleave to Hashem. In the old days of Cleveland, however, there was such a lack of religion here (due to secular W. European immigration, before Telshe Yeshiva and Hebrew Academy) that the Cleveland was called kelev - land. B"H, this has changed a lot. I am in Cleveland but could not go to the concert. :/

Akiva Ben Canaan said...

Chaim Dovid is playing in Teaneck tomorrow (this Tuesday night) at my parent's home if anyone is interested...

339 Maitland Ave., Teaneck
$15
hmischel1@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Vort, Dixie Yid. Mamash a great ha'ara. Bli neder, I'll pass it on to LeBron.
~ Mo "Moshe" Williams

Anonymous said...

yeshivishe blog

not brisker yeshivish at briskyeshivish.blogspot

DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

Akiva,

Very nice I was mechavein to R' Brody! And B"H that things have gotten so much better. I always used to get fundraising materials from a yeshiva in Cleveland when I was in high school so I guess I always thought of it as always being a major Torah place. Thanks for letting us in on the history and how much better things have gotten.

Anon, sorry for my ignorance, but who's LeBron?