Yiddish Wisdom For Marriage

This beautifully illustrated treasury of Jewish wedding proverbs celebrates the joys - and adventures - of sharing your life with the one you love. Marriage is a blessed state. This timeless collection of more than 100 folk sayings - in both English and Yiddish - captures the warmth, truth, and humour of traditional Jewish proverbs on the cherished bond of matrimony. Ranging from the light-hearted (Delay is good for cheese, but not for a wedding / Opleygn is nor gut for kez, ober nit far a khasene) to the poignant (Like soap for the body, so are tears for the soul / Vi zeyf farn guf, azoy zaynen trern for der neshome) to the practical (If the will is strong, one will achieve it / Az der viln iz shtark, vet men veln vi es mankht zikh), Yiddish Wisdom for Marriage embraces both the happiness and the tests of married life. With charming watercolors by Kristina Swarner to illuminate the proverbs, this initimate volume is a delightful inspiration and the perfect gift. Not what is beautiful is loved, but what is loved is beautiful. Nit dos vos iz sheyn iz lib, nor dos vos iz lib iz sheyn. When the heart is full, the eyes overflow. Az dos harts iz ful, veln di oygn aribergisn. When he loves his wife he also loves her family. Az men hot lib dos vayb hot men oykh lib ir mishpokhe. The first fight is the best fight. Der ershter broygez iz der bester broygez.

Kristina Swarner is the illustrator of Yiddish Wisdom and Yiddish Wisdom for Parents. She lives in Chicago.

Rae Meltzer was born in Mogilev, Russia (now Belarus), where Yiddish was her first language. She teaches Yiddish language and literature, and is the translator of Yiddish Wisdom for Parents. She lives in Maryland.