ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 95576 - Translation - Tombstone - USA - Baltimore


	The Genealogical Research Division of

About Mission Our Team Get Involved Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself! Research Search All Records Country & Topical Databases Holocaust Database Burial Registry (JOWBR) Cemetery Discovery Project Memorial & Plaques Database Shul Records America Family Trees (FTJP) Sephardic Text Search 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 Blog Town Finder (Communities Database) Yizkor Books KehilaLinks Regional/Topical Research Divisions JewishGen Press Publications 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. Learn Online Classes Search Methodologies & Research Advice Student Program in Poland Study & Service Tour of Poland Peter and Mary Kalikow Center 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 Family Finder Discussion Group Jewish Genealogy Portal ViewMate Success Stories Yahrzeit reminders 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. Donate General Support Specific Projects Planned Giving Wall of Honor 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!

Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 10/13/2021 10:26 AM
Family Surname: Neuman
Country: USA
Town: Baltimore

Click the picture to enlarge

I would be grateful for a translation of both sides of the tombstone.

Response

10/13/2021 10:59 AM

Right side:

Here lies

Reb YAAKOV son of Reb Yisrael Tzvi

[this is followed by four acrostic lines of praise; the first letters of each line spell out his name, Yaakov]:

His ways were straight and simple,
He worked hard to strengthen [the learning of] Torah and Judaism.
He received each person with a pleasant attitude.
He always tried to do good for others.

He passed away on the Eve of Sukkot 5749.

May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.

------------------------------------------------------

'Reb' is an honorific; it does not mean rabbi.

The calendar date of the Eve of Sukkot is always the 14th day of the month of Tishri.

In the year 5749, this date began at sunset on September 24th, 1988, and ended at sunset on the 25th. The secular date given on the stone is the 24th, indicating that he died between sunset and midnight of that date.

==================================================

Left side:

Here lies

the woman SARAH RAYZEL daughter of Reb Aharon

[here, too, there are four acrostic lines of praise; the first letters of lines 1-3 spell out Sarah, and line 4 begins with the first letter in the name Rayzel]:

She gladly accepted her lot, with simple faith,
She saw her duty and fulfilled it with full responsibility,
She devoted fierce strength for the institutions of Torah,
Many women acted valiantly, but you rose above them all [this line comes from the poem of praise, "Woman of Valor", composed by King Solomon]

She passed away on Rosh Chodesh Shvat 5758

May her soul be bound up in the bond of life.

--------------------------------------------------------

Here, again, 'Reb' does not mean rabbi.

"Rosh Chodesh", literally "the head of the month", also known as the "New Moon", begins a new month on the Jewish calendar. This is sometimes a two-day event; in this case, it was a one-day event, and the exact date was the 1st day of the month of Shvat.

10/14/2021 1:16 AM

While "gladly accepted her lot" is a correct translation, to my ears it contains a hint of accepting something difficult or tragic.

The Hebrew expression doesn't have that connotation, rather the opposite. It's an expression for easygoing happiness - She was a happy person, happy in what she had [not complaining, not envious, not ambitious... simply happy]. In a way, this expression is complemented by the second half of the text: her faith too was uncomplicated, smooth.

10/14/2021 9:05 PM

Although not mentioned on the tombstone, these are the parents of the Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yisroel Neuman.

ViewMate Posting VM 95576

Submitted by David Brostoff

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 95576

Submitted by David Brostoff