Israel Vogel, Letter
Letter to Eva Galler’s aunt and uncle who married in Israel. ISRAEL VOGEL OLESZYCE (Poland), MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTER OF TEFILLINTefillin: (phylacteries), small leather boxes which are bound to the arm and the head with leather straps during prayer. They contain parchments on which are hand lettered four passages from the Torah. The passages recite the commandments to place a sign on the hand, upon the heart and between the eyes. Source: Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish. , MEZUZAH, LEATHER STRAPS, TZITZIT, THREAD FOR PARCHMENT, SHOFARS, SPECIAL TEFILLIN, TORAHSTorah: the scroll containing the first five books of the Jewish Bible or Five Books of Moses. The Torah contains the essence of the Jewish religion, including the 613 commandments or mitzvot. The highest ideal for every Jew is the study of Torah.
The verses must be written in hand by a qualified sofer, or scribe. The scribe must take a ritual bath before beginning to inscribe a Torah and rules dictate which mistakes can be corrected and which mistakes require starting over. The Torah scrolls are stored on the East wall of the synagogue facing Jerusalem in the Ark or Aron Kodesh. Above the Ark hangs the ner tamid or eternal light.
Another major usage of the word “Torah” refers to classical Jewish religious texts in general and to the total corpus which they form. Hence, someone studying Talmud, Tanach, Midrash or Codes is also “learning Torah.” Source: Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish. , TORAH SPINDLES, DRUMHEADS Dated March 18, 1938: Dear Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law: First of all I want to thank you for the two letters that we recieved. Ten days ago I sent you a tallisTallis: a prayer shawl worn during religious services. Source: Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish. as a sample. Answer right away if you received it and if you had to pay duty. It is a gift. I added a bunch of silk tzitzit and they are kosherKosher: a system of rules and laws (the laws of kashrut) which for Jews govern the preparation and consumption of food.
Eating and drinking are for Jews religious acts where man takes from the bounty of God. Certain items are forbidden as food including blood, pork and fish without scales (e.g. shellfish). Other foods can be eaten separately but not together at the same meal. For example, milk cannot be eaten with meat, but each is a permissible food to be eaten separately within its own family of foods. The rules of kashrut are complex and in cases of doubt a Rabbi is consulted to make a decision according to the law.Source: Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish. . For you, dear brother-in-law I sent a nice tallis and you should wear it with pleasure. God should not forget you. You should have a good and steady job and should be able to afford everything, and your wife should not have to work. By now your have heard that Vienna has been occupied by the Germans. Unfortunatey, we are dancing at the same wedding. This has cost me thousands of zlotys which are owed to me. I am very nervous and cannot write anymore. Regards and kisses. These are the weeks of your honeymoon. Yours Truly, Israel
Photo Credit: Eva Galler
