(going) The Extra Yad: March 2023

This post continues translation of letters and postcards in Yiddish (and, sometimes, Hebrew and a little bit of Russian) sent to Morris Lederman, who immigrated to the United States in 1910. Most of the correspondence, such as this one, were sent by Morris' father Levi Yitzkhak. For further background, see the first post in this series.

For links to other posts in this series, please scroll to the bottom.

Only a few of the correspondence saved by Morris Lederman were letters sent to him in closed envelopes - the content hidden from prying Russian government eyes. The subjects of these letters, as one might expect,were a bit more personal than those seen in the postcards. In his previous letter (sent about 1.5 months earlier) Levi Yitzkak begged his son to come home and face the Russian military draft, lest the family be fined 300 rubles. While we do not have Morris' response, we can tell from this letter that he refused to return to Russia.

Levi Yitzkhak clearly wanted the best for his youngest son and, while confused about Morris' economic situation, was supportive of his decision to stay in the USA. Despite this, there were, understandably, great worries about how the family would raise the money should they be fined 300 rubles when Morris did not report for the Russian military draft.

Translation

Translation by Esther Chanie Dushinsky. My understanding of the first paragraph on side 2 has also benefited by a separate translation of this section completed Rivka Schiller.

[Notes in blue as well as those at the end of the post are mine. For ease of reading, I have added paragraph breaks in the translation.]

[side 1]

29 March 1913

11 April English

Friday, Erev Shabbos, Metsora [1]

My dear and beloved son, who revives my soul Mr. Moshe Shalom Mordekhai, should live.

My dear son...This week I received your card of the 12th of March English, and a few days later your letter from the 24th of March English. Parshas Metzora, the _____ [reads as tshusles] from 5 April, and again English. The time that we received the letters we had a situation, just a situation. I was home for Shabbos, Parshas Vayikra and had a very disturbed Shabbos. We won't even discuss mother, should live. She always has a song, "My child, my child"...We're not even discussing that we don't get letters from you often. But now, that we have received your card, and afterwards your letter, it turned into a happy time, thank God. Thank God that our mouths are full, "All our bones are singing the praises of our king who lives forever."

You wrote in the card to Faiga'n that you did not intend it as a negative that you call yourself a laborer. On the contrary, it is a praise. You are happy in America and pleased that you see yourself with money. You don't need to borrow 10 for a tie, or for a _____ [transliterated as forhitzt].

Later in the letter, where you wrote separately to mother, should live, you ask mother who is this and what is he that told you that I am living badly in America? _____ all your wishes, we are giving you our blessing, I wish, I wish, Ribono shel olam.[2] It should indeed be good, good. But from my side, I am coming to ask you "what changed?" Why are you not answering my questions that I am asking you? You should write in detail all about your business. In the bookkeeping lingo, it's called "active passive." In fact, in the letter you write father wants details, but I can't do it. I am asking you, what is this? What do you consider me?

[side 2]

Do you think I intend anything other than devotion? I only want you to let me know how God is overseeing your life there. What else can parents intend? My dear son, however, _____ _____ _____ _____ what do you gain by denying my wish to know? You can't accuse us like some others who have ulterior motives. You also can't compare us to other parents. You know well that our entire lives depend only on you, and in all our children. Our dear, what don't we do for our children's sake with our entire strength, with the last bit of power, with whatever we can help. We do what we can and God should help. Bottom line, my dear son, many times I am asking you, and this time as well, I will wish and ask in many ways that you should write about everything in your life. It should be a sort of "historical" sort of "statistic."

You write about not coming to _____ [crossed off word - was it perhaps censored?] with the motive - where you are - you write - there is a "bear," a wild animal. "For what reason should I leave such freedom?" And this is _____ your, it is for the 300, you will take into action.[3] What I gather from this is that you do not have money. Nu, I am asking you, my dear son, it is an oxymoron. You write that it is good for you. But in the previous letters you wrote that it isn't good: How do I travel if I don't have a cent? It seems to be the opposite. What do we do if we need to borrow money for expenses from a stranger, and we must send it? Bottom line, my dear son, all these questions and requests that I am asking is without any goal. I do not intend this to be _____ that the money _____, but I am _____, but I want to know, my child, I only have you in mind. You are on our minds very much.

About you not coming...[most probably Levi Yitzkhak did not want to write it out. It's just three dots] that you write, I am telling you the same that you, and _____ and mother, should live. Also the _____ that you write in the letter. True, true, we miss you very much. But how can we take a human and place them in front of a wild animal's teeth. Happens to be, according to Jewish law, one is not allowed to break off a shiddukh. But rather such a woman that is suspect in everything and to God forbid ruin one's life...But the truth is, it's really not good.

Send regards in my name to Yisrael Pesakh's [child]. Also the newly arrived. Mr. _____ _____ [Zuna? Kona'n?], send warm regards in my name. What happened to Mr. _____ [Zuna?]. It seems to be true what they say about him. There is no wisdom and no reason against bad _____ [cards? gambling?]. In Annopol, Adam Harishon never walked and was never there. A pity, a pity on Annopol, as I already said that his _____ [gematria] . And the fanaticism is worse than this. Mr. Zuna, Mr. Zuna, perhaps maybe they want to give a message to someone. What was written in the letter that Moshe'le wrote as well about the situation. Bottom line, he's only hinting a little bit about the situation. And this is how they will understand who is against myself and my household.

Moshe'leh, my son, please inquire from R' David Wallach [?] and his family, how R' Khaim Wallach is doing? If you meet him, send regards to him in my name as well. In all, send greetings to everyone we know, in my name.[4]

From home, Moshe'leh, they write letters to you often, often. You must believe me that we think about writing letters to you all the time, more than we think about eating and drinking. _____ for everyone is to write to you often. Therefore, my dear son, you should also see please to write letters as much as possible. Because whenever we receive a letter from you, there is happiness and celebration in the home, and everyone is busy and occupied with reading your letter just like Simkhas Torah. Bottom line, write, write, and we will write to you as well.

Be well and strong and wishing you a Kosher and happy Pesakh and be happy and with spirit. Greet all our acquaintances. You father that is blessing you and worrying about you, _____ _____.

Notes:

1. Levi Yitzkhak wrote this letter on 29 March 1913 in Russia's Julian calendar. In the United States (and much of the rest of the world), the date, by the Gregorian calendar, was 11 April 1913. The Hebrew calendar date was 4 Nisan 5673 and the Torah reading for that week was Metzora (Leviticus 14.1-1533). Metzora is often translated as "leper." It more correctly refers to someone infected with a spiritual malady who needs ritual purification (see, https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/1761/jewish/Metzora-in-a-Nutshell.htm).

2. Hebrew - Master of the Universe (i.e., God)

3. Likely referring to the 300 Ruble fine his family will have to pay when Morris does not report for the Russian military draft.

4. Thus far, I have not been successful trying to locate information about those mentioned in this and the previous paragraph, neither in Annopol nor in Lynn, Massachusetts.