Yarmouth yenta
Mrs. King
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and many people in my family, like my Bubbe (Grandmother), spoke Yiddish. I love the language. The words always seem so fitting and well, sort of cute! Yiddish is a language which was used by Jews in Central and Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. It originated as a German dialect with Hebrew words and words from other languages. Today it is spoken in the United States, Israel, and Russia. If you have spent any time with me, you most likely heard me use Yiddish words and phrases. Many expressions that people regularly use are actually Yiddish, such as nosh and klutz.
See if you can figure out what these Yiddish words mean through this well-known story. If you can’t, there’s a key to the Yiddish words at the end!
See if you can figure out what these Yiddish words mean through this well-known story. If you can’t, there’s a key to the Yiddish words at the end!
The Three Bissel Khzirs
by James Halliwell-Phillipps (1890) and Lorrie King (2019)
Once upon a time there was a muter khzir who had three bissel khzir kinder.
One day she said to them, "it is time for you to go out into the world to geyn makhn gelt."
The three bissel khzirs packed their bags and said geyn gezunt to their muter. They left the hoyz, and each went along a different path.
The first bissel khzir soon met a mentsh with a load of straw. "Please mister will you gib mir some shtroy to build a hoyz?"
The mentsh did and the bissel khzir quickly built himself a straw hoyz. It was not a very shtark house, but the bissel khzir was so happy he began to tantsn and zingen.
Along came a hungerik and wicked volf who knocked at the door and called out in a gruff voice, "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, let me come in."
The bissel khzir grunted and answered, "No, no, not by the hair on my gombe, gombe, gombe. I will not let you in!"
"You will be sorry," growled the volf. "I will huff, and I will puff, and ikh vet blozn deyn hoyz in."
So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the hoyz of straw right down. Then he ate up the first bissel khzir.
Now, the second bissel khzir walled along a path until he met a mentsch carrying a load of twigs. "Would you be so min sir as to give me some tvigz so I can build a hoyz?"
The man did, and the bissel khzir quickly built himself a house of tvigs. It was not a very shartk house, but the bissel khzir was so happy that he began to dance and play his flute.
Then along came the hungerik and wicked volf. He knocked at the door and called out in a gruff voice, "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, laz mikh areyn."
The little pig grunted and answered, "No,no, not by the hair on my gombe, gombe, gombe. I will not let you in!"
“You will be sorry," growled the wolf. "Ikh vet haff aun ikh bloz aun ikh vet blozn deyn hoyz in.”
So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and puffed some more, and at last he blew the house of tvigs right down. Then he ate up the second bissel khzir.
The third bissel khzir walked until he met a mentsh with a load of bricks. "Please sir, would you give me some brix to build a hoyz?"
The man did, and the little pig built himself a brick house. It took him a long time, but it was a lot shtarker than a straw house or a house of twigs. The bissel khzir was very happy. He sat down and played the piano and sang.
Then along came the hungerik and wicked volf. He nakt bay di tir and called out in a gruff voice, "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, laz mikh areyn."
The bissel khzir grunted and answered, "No,no, not by the hair on my gombe,gombe, gombe. I will not let you in!"
You will be sorry," growled the wolf. So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and puffed some more and he puffed again. But he could not blozn di hoyz in.
Der volf gat gemakh. "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, I will catch you anyhow. I am going to climb up on the roof and come down the chimney and est dikh aoyf!"
"Come down," said the bissel khzir. "Hurry up!"
The volf came down the chimney and fell right into a top fun vaser boiling over the fire.
The bissel khzir quickly popped the cover over the pot and that was the end of the shlekht volf.
And the third bissel khzir lived happily ever after.
One day she said to them, "it is time for you to go out into the world to geyn makhn gelt."
The three bissel khzirs packed their bags and said geyn gezunt to their muter. They left the hoyz, and each went along a different path.
The first bissel khzir soon met a mentsh with a load of straw. "Please mister will you gib mir some shtroy to build a hoyz?"
The mentsh did and the bissel khzir quickly built himself a straw hoyz. It was not a very shtark house, but the bissel khzir was so happy he began to tantsn and zingen.
Along came a hungerik and wicked volf who knocked at the door and called out in a gruff voice, "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, let me come in."
The bissel khzir grunted and answered, "No, no, not by the hair on my gombe, gombe, gombe. I will not let you in!"
"You will be sorry," growled the volf. "I will huff, and I will puff, and ikh vet blozn deyn hoyz in."
So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the hoyz of straw right down. Then he ate up the first bissel khzir.
Now, the second bissel khzir walled along a path until he met a mentsch carrying a load of twigs. "Would you be so min sir as to give me some tvigz so I can build a hoyz?"
The man did, and the bissel khzir quickly built himself a house of tvigs. It was not a very shartk house, but the bissel khzir was so happy that he began to dance and play his flute.
Then along came the hungerik and wicked volf. He knocked at the door and called out in a gruff voice, "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, laz mikh areyn."
The little pig grunted and answered, "No,no, not by the hair on my gombe, gombe, gombe. I will not let you in!"
“You will be sorry," growled the wolf. "Ikh vet haff aun ikh bloz aun ikh vet blozn deyn hoyz in.”
So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and puffed some more, and at last he blew the house of tvigs right down. Then he ate up the second bissel khzir.
The third bissel khzir walked until he met a mentsh with a load of bricks. "Please sir, would you give me some brix to build a hoyz?"
The man did, and the little pig built himself a brick house. It took him a long time, but it was a lot shtarker than a straw house or a house of twigs. The bissel khzir was very happy. He sat down and played the piano and sang.
Then along came the hungerik and wicked volf. He nakt bay di tir and called out in a gruff voice, "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, laz mikh areyn."
The bissel khzir grunted and answered, "No,no, not by the hair on my gombe,gombe, gombe. I will not let you in!"
You will be sorry," growled the wolf. So the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and puffed some more and he puffed again. But he could not blozn di hoyz in.
Der volf gat gemakh. "Bissel khzir, bissel khzir, I will catch you anyhow. I am going to climb up on the roof and come down the chimney and est dikh aoyf!"
"Come down," said the bissel khzir. "Hurry up!"
The volf came down the chimney and fell right into a top fun vaser boiling over the fire.
The bissel khzir quickly popped the cover over the pot and that was the end of the shlekht volf.
And the third bissel khzir lived happily ever after.
Key (Yiddish to english)
bissel - little
khzir - pig
kinder - children
muter - mother
geyn makhn gelt - make your fortune (go make money)
geyn gezunt - good-bye (go in good health)
hoyz - house
gib mir - give me
mentsh - man
shtroy - straw
shtark(er) - strong(er)
tantsn and zingen - dance and sing
hungerik - hungry
khzir - pig
kinder - children
muter - mother
geyn makhn gelt - make your fortune (go make money)
geyn gezunt - good-bye (go in good health)
hoyz - house
gib mir - give me
mentsh - man
shtroy - straw
shtark(er) - strong(er)
tantsn and zingen - dance and sing
hungerik - hungry