A month ago I blogged about the lessons my Mom taught me.
This month the lectures are Sid based.
Mom and Dad’s lessons had some overlap: Be polite, value education, always offer food/drink to family, friends and strangers. And lastly, hugs are an acceptable form of telling others you think they are swell.
Whereas Mom’s lessons were more visual, Sid’s classroom time always began with “Jeffy!”
Sid didn’t teach touchy-feely. His opinions on how things are and how they should be were pragmatic in nature. Sid Sambur’s views were in Black or White hues. There was no Gray. If something or someone was great, you knew it. When something or someone sucked, well we heard about that too. Sid was painfully honest.
Some examples:
“Jeffy, don’t be a shnoorer.” Translation from Yiddish. A taker, someone who would dine and dash on you when the check arrives.
“Jeffy, words matter. If you say you are going to do something, do it.” Another way of saying actions speak louder than words.
“Jeffy, No! I’m not buying that for you.” I heard the word “NO!” often. That’s a good thing. It taught me their are differences between real needs and mere desires.
“Jeffy, save your money. Don’t waste it on silly things. One day you might need that money.” I’ve rarely been in debt.
“Jeffy! Do the right thing. Be honest. Be nice to people. Be generous when you are able.”
Many of Dad’s lessons came from witnessing humankind at its worst. The Holocaust.
“Jeffy! don’t be a follower. Think for yourself. Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean it’s right.” I’m sure this came from Sid’s observation of the Mob Mentality of the Third Reich.
“Jeffy! There are times you’ll have to stand up for what you know is right.”
“Jeffy! I don’t want you to join the Boy Scouts. Any organization that requires a uniform is something to avoid.” Dad was probably thinking about the Nazi Brownshirts when he told me this.
“Jeffy! There are Goyim (non-Jews) who will hate you just because you are Jewish. Be aware of this.” A hard lesson of Anti-Semitism.
A lot of what my Dad taught was common sense, Golden Rule stuff. The rest was Alerts and Warnings pertaining to the potential Evil which is lurking in the World.
In essence, I believe Sid wanted me to be a mensch, but also to watch out for the other guy.
From The Joys of Yiddish, a "mensch" is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character.”
Well Dad, I try to be a mensch, I try.
Thanks for all the lessons.
Happy Father’s Day to our manly mentors.
No comments:
Post a Comment