Believe it or not, animals residing
in this neighborhood understand Yiddish! There is a squirrel named Zindel, for
example, that eats morsels that I place on the porch for the faigelach (birds). Nothing fancy, you
understand, just sherayim (leftovers)
of bread or other scraps. I also feed them crushed matzos, and they fress it (gobble it down) like the
greatest delicacy.
Zindel, too,
consumes the food quicker than a bolt of lightening, so to speak. Zindel eats mit baydeh bahken (with both cheeks
filled). We can learn how to avoid fressing
by watching a squirrel fress! After
food is placed near our porch, Zindel scampers to the area, looks up, as if to
say, “Gay avek (go away) and loz mich essen (let
me eat)!”
At times, Zindel’s
behavior is human-like. Vee azoy
(how)? you make ask. Iz azoy (it’s
like this): We receive food from the Ribono Shel Olam (G-d), right? Instead of
expressing our appreciation, we assume that the food is a given, so to speak.
Of course, when we make a bracha, we
express appreciation. When Zindel finishes eating he stands on his hind feet
and looks skyward.
Initially I would
observe Zindel while sitting on a chair on the patio. If I moved from the chair,
he scampered away. Gradually he stopped running away. One day he came closer and
stared at me with his pitch-black eyes. Was he testing how I would react or
communicating that it was mealtime? His expression appeared to convey, “Gib mir voss ich hobb leeb, peanut butter
(feed me with my favorite food, peanut butter).”
“Zindel,” I
responded, “Vehn bisdo gevoren ah
fine-shmekker (when did you become a finniky eater)?” I arose and Zindel
darted away. Sudddenly a red fox appeared on the scene and attempted to feast
on his favorite food – not matzos, not bread, but a hoppin’ robin. Fortunately,
the robin stopped bobbin’ and headed for the wild blue yonder (sky).
The next morning, Zindel
came up with a nyeh miseh, a new
request. He complained that the crushed matza was giving him digestive problems
and should be replaced with nuts. Ah
chutzpah from a squirrel! The following day, I gave him some Rice Crispies,
and now he wants crackers!
Recently Zindel
made the wrong bracha (in squirrel
language of course), and when told that he was an am hawawrets (ignorant), he got nasty and began scampering around
the yard as if to say, “The entire world is protesting, so why shouldn’t I?” Consequently
his next meal consisted of a food that he disliked, tsushmetert (crushed) cauliflower!
As Zindel realized
that his menu could take a nosedive, he stopped complaining. But his behavior didn’t
improve – not because of the food but because neighborhood squirrels decided to
share his food.
Nu dear reader,
every person has his or her tsoress,
but I ask you in Zindel’s name, voss zol
Zindel tawn (What should Zindel do)? And what should I? Send your responses
to vildechayess@Yiddishsquirrels.com. Thanks.
