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The history of Jewish names is a study on its own and leaves a wide valley to wander in. Well, Yitchak son of Avraham, Yakov son of Yitchak, Reuven son of Yakov; when every Jew is being called by his name and by his father's name, there was no place for jealousy and hate, for revenge and grudge. The father named his son using his own name: Could you bring it to your mind that a father will name his son using an indecent name?

Although, there is room to ask, where did the father of Shcehm son of Hamor [donkey in Hebrew] find such a beautiful name? Maybe you will say that it was done in prevention of cruelty to animals. Did Shcehm's elderly father felt sorry for such a modest beast and placed a “memorial” for it in his family?

During the kinghood of the stupid king, there is no wonder that beautiful names like Dalfun, Prmasheta and Vaizata existed. But how the did wild animal like, Dov [Bear], Arye [Lion], Zev [Fox], and Tzvi {Deer], enter our families? Let it be so, a deer is a kosher animal, but how did the ones who do not chew the cud, or those with split hooves join us? What place do the lion, fox and bear have in our families?

It is logical that those names stuck to us when we lived in the foreign lands of Gog and Magog, in the Slavic countries. And the proof is that in the eastern countries such despicable names did not cling to Jews. You will not find Sephardic Jews, Yemenite or Kurds who are named after animals and fowl, and they did not take gentile's names. A son will be named after his father's name: Ezra son of Yechezkel, Zecharya son of Shimon, Shemuel son of David. The spirit of the European civilization did not touch them, and did not distort their names.

Among the European Jews and the cultured countries, so to speak, you will not find a Jew without a nickname that was glued to him by the authorities, and at times with malice. Everything depend on luck even the name. It is not known what their ancestors were awarded with when they were given names like;”Berg”, “Tal” of the many varieties, “Dorp” , “Boim” and “Feld”, such as: Rosenberg, Goldberg, Rosental, Zonntal, Blumfeld, Zonenfeld, Kornfeld, Nosboim, Nosdorfe, ,Birenboim, Kirshnboim, Apelboim, and also the beautiful “intellectual” names like; Kluger, Wiser, Goter and so on. The luck of those who were named after a city, was not so bad, such as; Berlin, Lvov, Berliner, Varshaver, Lemberg, Alsazer,Viner,Dauser, Hamburger - and many other natural names - without malice and without praise. Some say that the names of some of the cities in Italy are Jewish names: Kastlanovo, Lotzivita, Prato, and many more.

Those who were stuck with indecent names did not fair any better; Krazer (scraper), Smirer (spreader) Knaknisel (cracker) Kaliker (rotten) or names of all kind of beasts and animals like Bik, Ox, Kalv and many others, and the mirical of it all is - that they carried those names with love and dedication, like they were given a gift that they did not want to return.

Our town was honored and liked. Gentile names were not stuck to our names, and we carried our own names, nicknames, names that show respect towards ones mother, wife, mother in-law, the elderly, names related to our place of birth, etc.

And nicknames! How is that? - Bartzi, Yantzi, Shmueltzi, Aytzi, Shlomtzi, Lontzi, Abraham'tzi.

Five years in Israel

with the women keeping the same rhyme; Shartzi, Hantzi, Ravtzi, Rachtzi, Yochtzi, Krintzi. Frumtzi, Malt'zi , Brint'zi Leit'zi, and many more.

Is this the only way to express fondness? What missing in the rhyme is: “Li” For example; Bera'li, Leybe'li Itzi'li, Shlome'li, Avrahame'li, Velve'li, Ahare'li Yose'li, Hershe'li.

Opposite them is a verity of women's names; Sara'li, Riveke'li, Rache'li, Dina''li ,Chana'li. Reize'li, Dvora'li Feige'li, Roiza'li, Chenke'li, Malca'li, Mira'li, Sheinda'li,

So far, we did not list the many rhymes of different nicknames like; Barka. Rashka, Sorka, Izikk'l, Duvid'l, Avrahame'l Hirshe'l - and if we want to count all of them - we don't have the time to so.

Names related to a mother, wife, and a mother in-law; How? First we list the official family names like; Dvosha's, Sorka's, Chieka's and other women's names in that order. Who does not recognize the traditional names in our town?

Shlomo Toyva-Laha's means - the son of Toyva-Leah, or, the husband of Toyva-Leah and even the father in-law of Yoyva-Leah. And; Toyva Malcha's, Michael Frida's, Berel Tame's, Neta Alte's, Moshe Chaya-Feige'is, Hirsh Chana-Yent'is. Great was the power of a woman, nearly a matriarchal power, Heaven Forbid! Matters reached a total absurdity, like: Here comes Malcha, the wife of Tovya Malcha's.

Reb Tovia is Malcha's husband and therefore he is called Tovya Malcha's, meaning belonging to Malcha and who is Malcha herself? If not the wife of Tovya Malcha's! And behold! The real meaning of the sentence is; this is Frida, the wife of Michael Frida Chaya-Rachela's, and so on.

The life wish of the villagers was to uproot and move to the big city, but only, if they were able find a job there. Saying that, through the generations, city Jews whose ancestors sat in inns in the villages near by, were stuck with the name of their place of origin; Michel Riniber meaning from Rinib, Chaim from Sokolivka wants to say Mesokolovka, Sender Strilker came from Strilka, Itzi Semoker,Yehuda Hirsh from Livovitzz, Baruch Loposhner meaning from Loposhana, Yosel Lanker, Baruch Loposhner from Lopshana, Avrahamtzi from Srenik, You did not know those Jews by any other names, only by those names.

So far we did not touch the root of the names. Because in our little town, each Jew, apart from his name he carried his father's and his mother's names and the name that was added to him from his connection to his respected mother in-law. In addition to his family name - he was also given a surname, at times in shame and at time in praise, and sometime not here not there - natural -as we say in foreign languages, because you did not know the meaning of things, if they were good or bad.

There was a certain Jew, for example, that the color of his face was not one of the lightest, so he was called Yosel the black. But from another reason they called a certain man Moshe the Red, not because of the color of his face, but the color of his beard. And if a man, Heaven Forbid! was the owner of too much flesh, even if it was totally not his fault, they gave him a name that followed him all of his life; even after the end of the seven years of plenty and fat, he was called Gershon the Fat. And I am free to explain why they called a certain man - David the Long (who never stopped growing), and why they called a certain woman Leyzale the Floy [Flea] (due to her miniature size).

Our town's Jews strictly observed cleanliness, and in addition to washing in the river during the summer days (but not during the days of the counting), they went once a week to wash at the bath house (by the way, his owner was a wise and learned student, who lost all his money. He had daughter who reached the age of marriage, but a savior was not found for her, because her father's name was “Hershel Berer” meaning Blen [bath attendant], an occupation that was not considered to be proper for match-making. Even though, he had a son in who was a Rabbi in America). However, they did not discriminate between lice and a bold head and a Jew who was inflicted with boldness, the name Lice was added to his name. During the High Sabbath [the Sabbath preceding the holiday of Passover] there was a lot of turmoil in the synagogue. The town's clowns were sending travel tickets (for free) to Egypt, the land of lice, to the owners of a bold head. It is obviously clear, that out of shame the owners of a bold head did not come to the synagogue on High Sabbath, and if they did come, they had to protect themselves from those, who suspected that they were the ones who sent the tickets - and this is the reason for the turmoil.

A certain Jew, Yakov, which the cut of his speech was not very smooth, was called Yankel Zindel, meaning, Yankel the Stammer, and the same was for any noticeable handicap. And if someone, Heaven Forbid! caught a dangerous illness, it is clear that it became his surname. Why did they call a certain man Shemuel Ba'l Shem [a miracle worker]? And why did they call an entire family by the name Tzadik? [Righteous]; Moshe Tzadik, Shalom Tzadik, all of them had the same occupation; they were cart owners the source of their income. When an accident happened, and the horse died before its time (there was no insurance then), the righteous of the generation, collected money and bought a new horse, a younger one, solely that the person won't be left without an income.

Let it be so, a certain Jew was called Leizer (Eliezer) “Shifcha” meaning slave after an event that happened. But in reality, nothing happened. But, so it was told even if nobody believed in it, and the name remained. Moshe “Maroz” and Shalom “Maroz” always traveled. The heat ate them during the day and the cold during the night. The meaning of “Maroz” is frost, so it is not difficult to understand why they were named Frost. Another Jew had a large head and wore size 11 hat on his head; so why should not the next generation know of it? And why should not he be called - Yona Elever - meaning Yona Number 11.

There was one Jew, who lived in the center of town, who was known for his great hospitality, He used to welcome visitors that came to town and ate their first meal at his house. On Sabbath he used to walk a long distance, farther than the boundaries of the Sabbath so he could pray on the Sabbath with other people. Why was he called Moshe Kutragaz - we did not know the meaning of it, it is a puzzle that will remain a puzzle!

And why was Hantzi Boston called by that name? For an event that once happened. Hantzi the young woman, eyed a young man by the name of Yankel but his parents refused the match making - as it happens in our world. What did Hantzi do? She found herself another young man, whose name was also Yanekl. While she was dancing she yelled: What the different does it make, this Yankel or the other Yankel -

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Boston (a dance of those days) as it should be, hence the name, Hantzi Boston.

Do I need to explain from where the name Chayim Klintor came from? - It is enough that the clowns of the generation called him Chaim Piper (because of his clarinet) and there was not a wedding without him all over the area.

A certain person's surname was “Paritz” why? He himself came from a worthy family and his brother was almost a Rabbi. At any rate, he was a wise student and a great scholar and he and his all family were Cohanim. But his name was changed to “Paritz” [Robber].

However, you can find tens and hundreds of Jews in our town that were only known by the surnames that were given to them by the authorities. Those were scholars, well to do homeowners, rich men or just Jews who were just a little bit above the others, or kept a short distance from Judaism and got closer to the authorities.

A “Shomer Hatzier” youth group in Bobrka

Reb Yehuda Hirsch Wind was a respectable householder. I believe that if he was not very rich, then by all accounts he was an affluent Jew. He was eager for jokes and did not refrain from some clowning. He used to say that we have five Yosefs who are the opposite of their name. We had a Jew named Yosale Kliger and while Kliger means wisdom, the town's clowns said that this Yosale was not that smart. On the other hand, there was Yosale Kriger, which means strife and war, while strife and war were far from this Yosale.

There was, for example, Yosale Shelger, which means beatings, but our Yosale did not beat even an animal. And Yosale Gottlieb, which means the love of God, and some say that our Yosale was the complete opposite of that. And finally, Yosale Shriber, which means writing, but this Yosale, despite the fact that he knew how to write, according to his neighbors, it was impossible to make him sign his name.

In our town there were four Torah scholars who always had angry and stern faces. Two of them married the daughters of two rich people in the city. The third failed in his marriage and the fourth was just a jealous houseowner.

1. Lazer (Elazar), the son-in-law of Reb Yona Shrayer, walked around angry and grumpy. Why does every gentleman in Bobrka establish a bank for his son-in-law, and his father-in-law, Reb Yona Shrayer, does not do that?
2. Reb Hirsch Kalisher, the son-in-law of Reb Hanich (Hanoch) Propst, grumbled furiously. Why does every gentleman in our city buy his son-in-law a position in the rabbinate in one of the towns in Galicia, and his father-in-law, Reb Hanich Propst, does not do that?
3. The guy Eli Propst, the son of Hanich Propst, was angrily walking. Why do all the guys get married and only he remains single?
4. Reb Pinchas Fisher was angry for a completely different reason. He was jealous that the owner of the store next to him was generating income.

When Rabbi Yehuda Hirsch Wind was asked when will he marry his daughter, he answered: I myself don't know yet, but I'm going to ask the stall holders in the market, they know first.

Reb Yehuda Hirsch Wind had an inn. One day at four o'clock in the morning a Jew from the neighboring city of Sterlink knocked on his window. Please open Reb Jew, the frost outside is strong and is crippling my limbs. Reb Yehuda Hirsch got up from his warm bed, opened the inner door and then the outer gate. The Jewish guest entered, shook the snow off his coat, tapped his boots hard to shake off the snow and the whole apartment was filled with water from the melting snow. “Doesn't it seem to you, Reb Hirsch, that it is too dark in the house?” asks the guest. Reb Hirsch was not lazy and lit the light in two lanterns and the candle in the candlestick on the table. “Don't you think it is too cold in the house?” asks the guest. Reb Yehuda Hirsch was not lazy and lit a fire in the stove and the oven so that it would be warm in the house. “Do you have anything to eat?” asked the guest. There is probably something left, Reb Yehuda Hirsch's answered.

The Jew sat down at the table, opened his bundle, took out bread, put it on the table and asked: “Do you have a bottle of soda, Reb Yehuda Hirsch?” Reb Yehuda Hirsch handed him a bottle of soda and the guest asked for the price. “Three pennies” answered Reb Yehuda Hirsch. “How can it be? After all, in Reb Nachman Kol's factory, a bottle costs only two and a half pennies!”

Moshe Sofer (Moshe was the son of Freida Mandelberg or Freida de Kunikess) was a Yeshiva student who spent all his days in the Beit Midrash. Most of the time he sat and studied in the small synagogue, the one known as the Shulkel, and also called the Klois of Stratyn, because most of the worshipers there were Stratyn Chassidim. One day Moshe Sofer stood up and announced: “Do you know, my friends, what I would like to be privileged to do and see in my life?” The guys who heard this became curious and asked: “Well, like for example what, what would you like to see?” And Moshe Sofer said:

“I would like to be drafted into the Austrian army, to be promoted and reach the rank of major. I want to ride my horse and pass before the Shulkel on Yom Kippur at the eighteenth of Mosaf when the Jews say with holy enthusiasm “Darei ma'ale im darei mata… keter”. And the window will be open, and I, the major, with the cigarette in my mouth will ask: ‘Why are the Jews shouting all over there?’ And the smoke of my cigarette will penetrate into the Shulkel.”

On the first day of the month of Elul, the women would go up to the “Beit Hacha'im” or as it was then called “ascension to the grave of the ancestors”. The students of the Beit Midrash would stand at the entrance next to the “tent” with various bowls to collect donations for “books repair” for “Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes” for the “The settlement of Eretz Yisrael” and similar charity boxes. The older boys of the Beit Midrash would send the younger boys to walk with the boxes among the graves and ask for charity from the women for repairing books. Some of the women said that they have already given charity and put it in bowls near the “tent”. What did the boys do? They would put stones in the bowls, rattle the boxes and announce: “Ma'am, you have not yet given to the “stoned bull”, you have not yet given to the “broken bread””. But sometimes the woman was educated and understood the meaning of the words. Then she would burst out shouting, “Go away, you bastard, don't tell me stories about the “stoned bull”, I understand what the scripture is talking about.”

There were women who would come to a grave, knock on it like a person knocks on his friend's door and say: “Good morning to you, my good neighbor, here I am again.” There were women who prostrated themselves on the graves to pray for their sons and daughters and all the other members of the family. But there were those who came to the graves of the dead to pray for the downfall of their enemies.

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They begged the dead to help them bring all the curses in the world on their enemies, God save us.

There were also women who came to their father's or mother's grave to complain in front of them: “If you saw me now, you wouldn't recognize me”.

Rabbi Moshe Shochet used to walk among the graves as like one of the family and would make “God full of mercy” for the dear souls based on reservations. And Haya Di Koniches and her daughter Freida walked with a cocoon of threads and as expert engineers they measured the whole cemetery. These threads were then used as wicks in the candles for Yom Kippur. This was their livelihood and with this work in the month of Elul alone, they managed to live the whole year. These candles were placed in the synagogue. No one wanted to take on the responsibility of placing these candles in the house, lest a malfunction should occur and one of the candles would go out, a sign that this soul would be extinguished during the year, God save us. Among all the candles, they didn't know whose candle went out, and in addition, they weren't so careful about a candle that went out in the synagogue.

At the entrance, next to the tent, there were poor people, who were asking for alms. Shlomo'le, the one who was called Shlomo'le the angel of death, that is to say the little angel of death - and indeed he looked that way - he was also standing there. Hirsch Kushch (no one knew why they called him that name) together with several other beggars, also stood there. And we, the guys of the Beit Midrash, conducted this whole concert.

Even on the eve of Yom Kippur the boys of the Beit Midrash stood in the invaded vestibule of the synagogue and the Beit Midrash equipped with bowls for all kinds of charity and for “books repair”.

I don't know what the practice was in other synagogues. In Bobrka, it was strictly forbidden to eat anything at any time in the synagogue, with the exception of Simchat Torah. This was explicitly stated in the regulations that were established with the laying of the cornerstone for the synagogue, that in Simchat Torah, it is not only permissible to drink a glass of schnapps “to life” but it is a mitzvah to drink a glass and to taste a piece of “Lekach”. And there were already designated and invited Jews, who had possession at Simchat Torah for the “Chatan Torah” and others for the “Chatan Bereshit”. In my time, Reb Yair Meir Rata (Rot) and Reb Avraham Yitzhak Beller from the village of Sterilka had such a possession. Reb Avraham Yitzchak of Sterilka used to bring a large jug (the kind for milk) full of schnapps, and he handed it over to the synagogue's shamashim, the shamash Reb Dugi and the shamash Reb Shmuel Yuzip. Both of them sat drunk next to the jar and handed out glasses. They were no longer aware of what was happening with them, where they were and what they were doing. But Reb Yair Meir Roth used to practice differently. He would bring a big pillowcase full with “Lekach” and he and only he distributed its content. He was running around carrying the pillowcase on his shoulder. At first, he stood near the sink by the door. But those present moved him so much until he was near the Holy Ark and everyone would shout at him: “Reb Yair Meir, a piece of “Lekach”, Reb Yair Meir, a piece of “Lekach”. And there were boys who stood next to Reb Yair Meir and stuck their hands in the pockets of his caftan, held the back of his neck and shouted too: “Lekach”! “Lekach”! And so, they would move this poor man from one corner to another throughout the synagogue to get a piece of cake. After the Simchat Torah holiday, Reb Yair Meir would lay sick for several weeks due to these movements from place to place. But “honor” was not a minor thing and he did not want to give up the “possession”.

It was one of the biggest fairs of the year that the kingdom gave to the town of Bobrka, and many villagers from all the surrounding villages gathered and came to the town. Some of them came to buy bargains at the fair, some of them came to sell and some of them came just to see the fair, because that day they found a cart to go back to the village. And so, they all came with their wagons and horses with their foals and camped wherever they could find.

And here it happened that one of the foals got separated from its mother and lost its way back. Two young men were standing and playing pranks: they took the foal and brought it into the Beit Midrash and tied it near the ark. When the hour came near the Mincha prayer, the shamash Chaim Aba'le came to the Beit Midrash and here he saw a young foal standing by the ark. Chaim Aba'le was horrified and frightened. He was certain that it was some kind of “incarnation” from the world of truth. Chaim Aba'le approached the foal, asked for its forgiveness three times and commanded it: Return to the dirt! Return to the dirt! But the foal did not hear him.

Chaim Aba'le ran to call the dayan Reb Yosef Kaliger, the late. The dayan came to the Beit Midrash, and when he saw the foal, he passed away, God save us. The poor foal needed a “tikun” and a tallit should be put on him, Chaim Aba'le said. But the foal rebelled and refused to accept the covering.

In the meantime, a wise Jew came to the Beit Midrash and said: “Don't do stupid things, untie the foal and drive it out.” And so it was. The same guys who tied the foal were those who untied it; the foal broke out and ran away.

In those days they didn't know what electricity was, and they had not even ever heard that such a thing existed in the great world. This invention had not yet reached our town, and they would study the Gemara by candlelight, just as they would look for chametz before Pesach. The person in charge of the candles in the Beit Midrash was the late Reb Chaim. Chaim Aba'le only gave candles number 16 (16 per pound) and the boys of the Beit Midrash craved candles No. 9 (9 per pound), but Chaim Aba'le refused to give them candles No. 9. And there was a dispute between Chaim Aba'le and the boys of the Beit Midrash, and the boys behaved according to the rule that you don't punish before giving a warning first. And so they did: They warned Reb Chaim Aba'le that they would take all the candles from him if he if he continues to refuse. But Reb Chaim Aba'le refused to give them the candles because God hardened his heart. What did the guys do? They stole all the candles from his storage and put them on the pavement. Then, Reb Chaim Aba'le approached them and said, please, there is no need to have a dispute between us, after all, we are all brothers. Candle No. 16 or No. 9 should not create a dispute between us. From now on peace will prevail between us. May God give and add forever.

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The Case of the Trees in the Shulkel

The Gabbay in the small synagogue, the one called Shulkel, was Reb Simcha Lotringer. Reb Simcha Lotringer refused to give trees as requested by the students of the Shulkel. The boys said to him, “Who nominated you as the one on charge?” They opened the storehouse of wood and took trees freely.

The boys had one demand: “We want to sit and study and it is only reasonable that the synagogue be heated.” And a sign was given to it: a copper chandelier was hung from the ceiling of the Shulkel and if the center of the chandelier was hot, it was a sign that the oven could be turned off.

The oven was used not only for heating but also for roasting potatoes. In the winter evenings, the guys and also other homeowners used to sit at the tables and study. All the tables in both the Beit Midrash and the Shulkel were full of students who were also enjoying the roasted potatoes. The late Reb Chaim Katz surpassed the others because he was sitting and studying day and night.

Reb Chaim Aba'le, who got up before everyone else, took care of heating the Beit Midrash early in the morning. Many came to the Beit Midrash while it was still dark outside and sat down to study. There were those who came just to recite a chapter of Psalms such as the late Reb Avraham Heftaler. He was one of the first to get up in order to get something done before the prayer. Reb Shaya Shor was also one of those who got up early. He sat at the head of a group of Jews who studied in the morning before prayer.

I heard the following things in Bobrka and brought them with me when I immigrated to Israel in 1926. When the late Dr. Avraham Kahana heard these things from me, he asked me to repeat them to him again and he wrote them down.

A priest came to a rabbi and asked him to teach him the Gemara. The rabbi asked, “Why do you want to study Gemara? Gemara is not a matter for Gentiles. Gemara is a matter for Jews only, a Gentile will not understand it.” The priest answered and said:

The priest: “How can you say I won't understand, I have three Ph.D. degrees, I am a Ph.D. in Theology, I am a Ph.D. in Philosophy and I am a Ph.D. in Mathematics. How can you imagine that I won't understand?”
The rabbi: “I still tell you that you will not understand it; Gemara is a matter for a Jewish head and not for a Gentile mind.”
The priest: “Ask me and we'll see, why do you assume I won't understand?”
The rabbi: “Why not? Good idea! Reuven and Shimon entered the chimney. Reuven's face was immediately covered in soot. The Gemara asks who washes his face?”
The priest: “It's simple!”
The rabbi: “What do you mean it's simple?”
Priest: “It's simple, Reuven is covered in soot, Reuven is the one washing his face.”
The rabbi: “And the Gemara says the opposite. Shimon is the one washing his face.”
The priest: “How can it be, why should Shimon wash his face?”
The rabbi: “The matter is very simple. Why would Reuven wash his face? How should he know his face is covered with soot; does he have a mirror? Shimon sees that Reuven is covered with soot and thinks that he is also covered with soot and therefore he washes his face.
Priest: “That's beautiful! But you won't reject me with one question, you will probably agree to ask me a second question.”
The rabbi: “Of course, I agree to ask you a second question. Reuven and Shimon entered the chimney, and Reuven's face covered with soot. The Gemara asks who washes his face.”
The priest: “It's clear, Shimon washes his face.”
The rabbi: “And the Gemara says - both wash their faces.”
The priest: “What happened to your mind?”
The rabbi: “Reuven washes his face as you said: Reuven's face was covered with soot; therefore, Reuven washes his face. And Shimon washes his face because he sees that Reuven's face is covered with soot, so he thinks his face is also covered with soot, so he washes his face.”
The priest: “Beautiful, beautiful! If you don't mind, please ask me just one more question.”
The rabbi: “Why not? good idea! Reuven and Shimon entered the chimney and Reuven's face is covered with soot. The Gemara asks who washes his face?”
The priest: “It's clear, they both wash their faces!”
The rabbi: “The Gemara says: No! Both do not wash their face.”
The priest: “How can it be?”
The rabbi: “The matter is simple and clear. Reuven doesn't wash his face, why should he? Why should he think he is covered with soot; does he have a mirror? Shimon does not wash, he says this: If I, Shimon, was covered with soot, Reuven would have seen that I was covered with soot and he would have thought that he was also covered with soot and he would have washed his face. Since Reuven does not wash his face, it is a sign that he sees that I, Shimon, am not covered with soot - why, then, should I wash my face? Therefore, both of them do not wash their face.”
The priest: “Wonderful, wonderful! Sweeter than honey and spectacular. You have just made me want to study Gemara, but to be honest, I'm ashamed to ask you to ask me another question.”
The rabbi: “It's fine, I'll ask you another question. Reuven and Shimon entered the chimney and Reuven's face covered with soot, the Gemara asks who washes his face?”
The priest: “I don't understand anything! Reuven washes and Shimon does not wash; Shimon washes and Reuven does not. They both wash, both do not wash. What else can be asked about it?”
The rabbi: “The Gemara has two excuses for this. First, Gentile mind, what do two scholars like Reuven and Shimon have to do in the chimney? And the second, have you ever seen a case in which two people enter the chimney and only one of them is covered with soot? I told you that the Gemara is not for the Gentile mind, Gemara is only for a Jewish mind.”

In a town near Bobrka there was a Jew named Berel Piasek. Reb Berel was once asked, “Reb Berel, why you were called Berel Piasak?” “Don't you understand? Barel replied.

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Who does not understand, after all, it is very simple. If you mix the letters of Berel, you get leber and leber means heavy in the holy language. And heavy is also used for another matter, i.e. ”Swor”, such as “The work weighed heavily on them”. “Swor” also comes from the word “Shvua” (oath) for the word “Sworn”, which is about swearing, and if we delete the “a” from “Shvua”, it means a week (Shavua), and a week deals with “chol” matters (daily matters) and “chol” (sand) is Zamed and Zamed is Piasek. So why you won't understand? It's very clear and simple!”

Hirsch Beller		Yosef (Yasel) Leib		Joshua Dreyer

Tzvi Fand

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David Plager (Dudia Shemesh, Chief shamash in the Synagogue)
Shmuel Yuzip Brandwein (substitute of the shamash in the synagogue)
Chaim Aba'le (Shamash in the Beit Midrash)
Israel, the son of Chaim Aba'le
Hirsch Melech Kreuthammer (Shamash in the small synagogue, “In Shulkel”), he would announce the birth, before the blessing of the month on “Shabbat mevarchin”.
David Hane's, (Shamash in “Farayan”)
Yitzhak Pepich, Shamash in the klois of Chortkiv Chassidim. (except for this role, every year he would try his luck in trading garlic. Every year he hoped that the price of garlic increases, and always lost).
Meir Danziker (Shamash in the klois of the Belz Chassidim).

The Shamashim were also engaged in other “sacred” roles. Dudia Shemesh would carve inscriptions on tombstones, Meir Danziker was the “gravedigger” of the city and an expert in kneading the dough for matzoh. Loved a glass of drink. He would say: “When I buy a “bottle” of alcohol, it is enough for me on Shabbat evening only until… the end of the fish dish”.

Reb Herschel Shochet
Reb Moshe Nas (Moshe Shochet)
Reb Michal Shochet, the son of Reb Hirschel
Reb Kalman Shochet, the son of Reb Michal Shochet - but the rabbi fired him from his position due to an incident that happened.
Reb Moshe Avraham Shochet (Mann)

Azriel Holtzman, the director of “Sale of Yosef'”

Reb Shlomo Peltz (Shlomo Shochet)
Rabbi Aharon Fruchter (the son-in-law of Reb Moshe Nas)
Rabbi Avrahamchi Shochet (the son of Reb Moshe Nas).
Reb Moshe Shochet had a pleasant voice. He would pass all his days in front of the ark in the Great Synagogue and prayed Musafs on the “Days of Awe”. He would chant at joyous occasions, such as: at weddings, at circumcisions, and at the redemption of the son; And God save us, he would eulogize and say “God full of mercy” in a heart-breaking voice. Also, on the first day of the month of Elul, on the “Beit Hacha'im”, when women came to the “grave of ancestors”.

Children from Bobrka

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