True Story - Exclusive for Readers of the Muqata blog.
Just heard this story from my brother in law who says he personally witnessed it happen...
He was at a shul in (omitted to protect the guilty), which he described as at the liberal end of dati/religious shuls.
He heard the following conversation between a 6 year old and his father:
"Abba, mah zeh 'gay' ?" [Dad, What does "gay" mean?]
The father's eyebrows furrowed-up in concern, and he launched into a whole explanation of how some couples are male/male or female/female instead of being like male/female couples and families, and explained he how we need to be open and understanding even though they are different than us, etc., etc., etc.
After about 5 minutes the father stops and asks his kid if he understands.
The kid nods hesitantly and says, "Ken Abba, Ani Choshev sh'ken. Aval yesh li od sh'eyla...." ["Yes Dad, I think I understand, but I have another question...."]
The father braces himself...and the kid asks:
"Mah Zeh 'tzalmavet'?" **
Just heard this story from my brother in law who says he personally witnessed it happen...
He was at a shul in (omitted to protect the guilty), which he described as at the liberal end of dati/religious shuls.
He heard the following conversation between a 6 year old and his father:
"Abba, mah zeh 'gay' ?" [Dad, What does "gay" mean?]
The father's eyebrows furrowed-up in concern, and he launched into a whole explanation of how some couples are male/male or female/female instead of being like male/female couples and families, and explained he how we need to be open and understanding even though they are different than us, etc., etc., etc.
After about 5 minutes the father stops and asks his kid if he understands.
The kid nods hesitantly and says, "Ken Abba, Ani Choshev sh'ken. Aval yesh li od sh'eyla...." ["Yes Dad, I think I understand, but I have another question...."]
The father braces himself...and the kid asks:
"Mah Zeh 'tzalmavet'?" **
** There's a famous verse, "גם כי אלך בגיא צלמות"...Even as I walk in the Valley of Death...and the Hebrew word "gay" means "valley" in proper Hebrew...yet means "gay" in modern slang Hebrew....
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
(c) 2007 - Jameel @ The Muqata muqata.blogspot.com
ha
ReplyDeleteha
ha
Context is everything!
ReplyDeleteThis one really happened to me:
ReplyDeleteMy 7 year old (at the time) son asked me "Abba ma zeh min"?
I started hemming and hawing, trying to figure out what to say, when he said that he read somewhere about a "sefer Torah shekatav oto min".
(wew...relief...)
Funny.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the copyright, Jameel?
OY!
ReplyDeleteGreat story.
ReplyDeleteBefore answering anybody-know where they are coming from.
yep - heard something similar myself!
ReplyDeleteha ha!
ROTFLOL!!
ReplyDeleteWe were at a family event at a synagogue in the US not long after the uproar about the parade here in Jerusalem. The president of the congregation introduced herself to us, and then introduced us to her wife and child. My kids didn't seem to notice at first. Then my 7 yr old asked me in Hebrew, "Ima, that lady, does she have a husband?" I said, "no". He replied, "But she said that the other lady is her ..." he stumbled, unsure of what to say. I said something about the parade, and choices, and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't ask any more questions ...
Uncle came in from America for the Bar Mitzva of his nephew. Gets up in the Yishuv's shul to give a speech.
ReplyDeleteHe starts describing the boy's attributes:
"He has a heart of gold," the uncle exclaimed. "Yesh lo lev mezahav," he translated into Hebrew.
"And not just gold, but Gold, with a capital 'G'," he continued, and then translated, "Loh rak zahav, aval zahav eem zayin gadol".
The speech basically finished there.
oh dear...THAT was hilarious!
ReplyDeleteJameel, I'm LOL. Unfortunately, I'm also not surprised by the father's assumption of what his son was talking about.
ReplyDelete