ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 95856 - Translation - Tombstone - USA - Brooklyn - Sprinzen


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 11/3/2021 12:18 PM
Family Surname: Sprinzen
Country: USA
Town: Brooklyn
Date of Image: 1910

Click the picture to enlarge

KNOWN: In Washington Cemetery, Brooklyn, Gravestone of Mordechai Sprinzen, son of Avraham Yechiel Michal, died Feb. 27, 1910, aged 67.I believe the Hebrew word in the middle is "sofer," for scribe. (Other records show he was a "rabbi"and a "talmadmaker.") I would like to know what the Hebrew description says at the top, under "Peh Nun"and if I am missing anything else. The 2nd last line of Hebrew is very faint. I presume it is his Hebrew date of death in Adar? See next uploaded image, which is a negative of the image, which may help legibility. Thank you.

Response

11/3/2021 1:29 PM

Thank you for providing the 'negative', which is helpful.

This is what I can make out:

Here lies a simple and honest man, our teacher, the rabbi

MORDECHAI, son of Reb Avraham Yechiel Michel

Scribe

He passed away ___ Adar I 5570/5670 [see notes]

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

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

He is described with the Hebrew word "tam". This word has a number of possible translations. I prefer "simple", which is not a negative term, but means that he was a person who did not put on airs.

His name is preceded by an abbreviation that translates to "our teacher, the rabbi". This means that he had rabbinic ordination; he was not necessarily the rabbi of a congregation.

The third part of his father's name is Michel, not Michal (which is a girl's name).

As you indicated, he was also a scribe.

The term "talmadmaker" is interesting. I imagine that the first part is meant to be Talmud. Not sure about the 'maker' part. The Talmud is not written by a scribe. Do have the original source for that term?

I am wondering about the date. You give the secular date as February 27th, 1910. The stone looks really old, and the Hebrew year does not look like 5670, which would be the equivalent for February of 1910. It looks like 5570, a century earlier, which would make the secular year 1810.

If the year was 1910, then the Hebrew date would be the 18th or 19th of 5670 (depending upon whether he died before or after sunset).

If the year was 1810, the Hebrew date would be the 23rd of 24th of Adar I of 5570.

The exact Hebrew date in Adar I is too faded to make out in either image.

To explain "Adar I": Most Hebrew years have 12 months, the last of which is called Adar. In Hebrew leap years, there are 13 months, the last two of which are then called Adar I and Adar II.

11/3/2021 9:14 PM

Here Lies

A pious and upright man

איש תם וישר
A note on these words: We try to get into the mindset of whoever composed the wording to be engraved on their loved-one's tombstone. Which of the several meanings for the word "tam" was their intention? Logically, a person wouldn't summarize a departed loved one to have been a "simple" person. We therefore move on to the "other" Hebrew-English dictionary translations of the word "tam" to see which fits: complete, wholesome, integrity, pious, innocent. Your guess would be as good as any translator's.

ViewMate Posting VM 95856

Submitted by Karen Milstone Amato

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 95856

Submitted by Karen Milstone Amato