NEVER BE IN A HORA

I'm asking myself - "Why am I doing this ?????" when I was a little kid at Haugan elementary school, where Sadie K. Kalman was principal, she was a dynamic educator with presence and character, that loved her kids ( I wanted to bring back her memory from the 1950's in Chicago)
I used to stand up before class and read my compositions , and my classmates really enjoyed them...so I like to share.)

[2008 Note: I received a call recently from a former Haugan student, that told me our principal had a dark side to her personality as well, as a overzealous disciplinarian. We have to add 'over romanticizing hora' to the list of horas. There's always more than one side to a story, but I stand corrected. Those who have passed on can hardly defend their memory. Thanks for the call. Amazing how long unpleasant memories tend to stay with us. Better to have avoided these things.

The question then becomes, how do we heal ourselves within, aside from the passage of time ? Today the next question becomes how as parents do we prevent untold overzealous behavior towards elementary school children ? We want quality teachers and administration in our school systems. A first step is to be very involved and vigilant with your kids in their schooling.]

Loshen Hara is a very flavorful Hebrew/Yiddish term. Basically it's has to do with bad speech, the evil tongue, malicious gossip, where the deep philosophical message is about overcoming anger and resentment. Loshen Tov is good speech. Anger is not generally healthy, especially as we get older. Resentment perhaps melts away when we remember to be thankful to G-d for everything we have including the basis of our consciousness and being.

Don't be in such a hurry and watch your horas.


Here's the poem:

Never be in a hora –

Other than dancing the hora….

Sprechen hora can lead to Loshen hora

Essen hora can lead to Fressen hora, but cuisine can be easily rationalized.

Kishen hera , or a kishen hima can be the start of an emotional or chemical Hora-cane where you might think to try the right Brocha first , before trying … whatever with whomever…..don’t even engage in thinkin hora

Lechen hora , got to be careful here, so the sechel doesn’t liegt , which might lead to a Steht where there is a mutual temptation toward

(This could even lead to an occasional fortuitous Simchas ) if inertial transcendence is besherdt. Then don’t be in such a hora and take your sweet time, indulge in the loss of reason , and in a sweetness sublime in betwixt the occasional rhyme)

Stechen hora, which might lead to microbal, or viral hora, and then you might get a get, or a new briss in a hora…or a trip to the hupa in front of a shotgun, in a hora …a serious quvetchin hora, or a medical bill hora.

All the while, you’re much safer with Kosher style, so you’ll always be in the right position, and enjoy a most heavenly nutrition …………..of poetic erudition….all the while.

But then if it’s beshert that you don’t try, don’t be mislead by hertz-verbrechen hora. You never know what you might have been spared, or how you would have fared.

Be sure you know the right end from the wrong end of things to assure a happy ending.

Shel Stein Copyright 2007

I believe we need a glossary for the non initiated -

Simchas - Joy and happiness
Brocha - Blessing or benediction
Sprechen - to Speak
Essen - to eat
Fressen - to really chow down, eat like an animal, could be eating without proper etiquette or good manners
Kishen - Kissing, a most pleasant oral interface, that can take place between faces or other select anatomical locations
Lechen- To lick, as in an ice cream cone, otherwise requires mutual approval at best
Briss - Circumcision
Hupa - Wedding Canopy
Quvetchen - Complaining or never ending speech
Hertz- Heart
Verbrechen - Broken
Besherdt - Meant to be, also you need to have faith that G-d knows what He's doing
Get - A Jewish divorce
Sechel - Common Sense, Wisdom if you're lucky
Liegt - Lies as in a prostrate position . For instance when a person commits an impulsive act or behavior , sans thinking, it is said the Sechel lieght in Dreht ( Ground) - literally common sense is buried in the grave.