ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 93967 - Translation - Hebrew - USA - Malden, Revere, MA


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Hebrew
Approval Date: 6/6/2021 12:32 PM
Family Surname: MILLER
Country: USA
Town: Malden, Revere, MA

Click the picture to enlarge

Biographic info regarding my grandfather Manasha Miller

Response

6/6/2021 2:07 PM

The letter seems like an appointment letter of your grandfather as a ritual slaughterer(shochet).

Some of the words are hard to read and some are related to the ritual of slaughtering, so I tried to capture the general notion of things:

The respected fellow Menasha son of Reb Chaim from the town of ?. Who came to study the holly craft of slaughtering and examining (Shochet ve-Bodek).
For a year he dealt with great dedication in grinding, slaughtering. Trained to handle a slaughtering knife sharp and smooth. Also practiced a lot the feeling of the knife identifying any notch (pgima) even the smallest one, like hitting by a hairsbreadth without missing.
He slaughtered, in front of us, various types of animals (cow, lamb, chicken), doing it very carefully with all his heart, examining whatever required, knowing how to deal with every piece, answering each of our questions.
And so we determine that this respected fellow is worthy of being a slaughterer and examiner in Jewish communities.

6/6/2021 2:56 PM

Menashe son of Avraham Chaim from Rakishok (apparently Rokiškis, Lithuania)

6/6/2021 10:51 PM

Looks like an ordination to be a ritual "slaugherer and checker" - i.e. a slaugherer also checks the meat for impurities before and after the slaughter.
"Grinding" refers to sharpening the knife. I would translate "pgima" as "blemish", and would not use the word "like" in the following sentence:
"identifying any notch (pgima) even the smallest one, like hitting by a hairsbreadth without missing".
I suggest:
"Discerns any blemish [in the knife] and [aims and] hits by a hairsbreadth without missing" [this refers to the physical act of aiming the knife where it should go].

On the bottom right are the signatures of three men who are already ordained "slaughterers and checkers" all three "from here".

ViewMate Posting VM 93967

Submitted by Richard Elihu Miller

Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself!

Search millions of records from around the globe, including more than 4 million records related to the Holocaust, and more than 4.2 million burial records. Records are continually added each month - check back often for new information!

Discover your ancestral town, explore geographic/regional based sections of the JewishGen site (Research Divisions), and explore what daily life was like for your ancestors - and what we can learn from them today.

Enhance your research with online classes and dozens of helpful articles. University students can apply for the Bennett & Robin Greenspan L'dor V'dor Legacy Program, and those "out of school" can help preserve Jewish Heritage in Poland with unique study & volunteer experiences.

Connect with tens of thousands of other JewishGen members via the Family Finder, Discussion Group, Facebook Group, and ViewMate. It's a great way to share success, ask questions, and stay informed of the happenings throughout the Jewish genealogical community.

The JewishGen site is offered as a free public resource. However, it costs a lot of money to maintain and expand our services. If you are in a position to do so, please consider a contribution today - your support will make a difference!

ViewMate Posting VM 93967

Submitted by Richard Elihu Miller