Noach, may he rest in peace, had every animal in his tayvah (ark). Let’s review some of them, starting with the lion, known as the king of the beasts. (Who gave him such a title? Probably other lions…) When he wished to be heard, the lion gave a loud roar, and every living chayeh (animal) froze fearfully in its tracks. So how did Noach calm them down? Possibly by telling them stories; maybe by tranquilizing them with various herbs. Lions love to see things move, so perhaps a stage show, with various chayes acting the parts, was presented to the lion, since he was proclaimed to be the king.

In our neighborhood, there is a small wooded area that is home to wild animals, such as deer, foxes, squirrels, and feigelach (birds). The birds include finches, cardinals, robins, and a Yiddish-speaking bird named Raizeleh. 

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.           

“So what is a shpahtsir?” you may ask. Perhaps you remember the song, “Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk.” In Yiddish it would read, “Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Shpahtsir.” Nu, maybe it sounds better in English.…

So who wrote such a song? you may again ask. Iz der enfer (the answer is), Irving Berlin, a Yiddel, of course. He composed many other American melodies, including “G-d Bless America.” Surely you have noticed from my articles that many Yidden have written popular tunes. (You also surely know that Yidden have contributed in many fields. Nu, that’s a topic for another article.)

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There is a beautiful Yiddish tune entitled “Vee Nemt Mehn ah Bisseleh Mazel? (Where Can we Get a Morsel of Luck?)” Composed by Benzion Witler, a prolific writer of Yiddish melodies, the message of the song is always relevant because all human beings and other living things need mazel, right?

Here are a few maises (tales) regarding the importance of mazel.

Currently, there is a plague going around the world which has panicked entire nations.