Shkoyach! An Exploration of Jewish Gratitude and its Cultural Significance

Show Notes
Transcript

Have you ever wondered about the evolution of the famous Jewish jargon Shkoiach? Get ready to unravel this seemingly simple phrase's etymology and deep cultural significance. We'll lead you through the journey from its original form, Yasher Koach, to the now commonly used Shkoiach. You'll discover how this expression of thanks or encouragement has endured through changes in pronunciation and usage.

Now, imagine a man, grateful to Hashem for his newfound wealth, engaged in a thanksgiving ceremony. This narrative becomes our guide as we explore the deeper facets of gratitude, its cultural expressions, and emotional profundity. We question whether merely saying Shkoiach is enough or aiming for a more heartfelt and nuanced word of thanks. How does giving context and expressing joy amplify feelings of gratitude? Please tune in to this enlightening exploration of a common phrase and its implications for expressing gratitude.

Support the Show.

Join the WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content! JOIN HERE
----------------

SUBSCRIBE to The Weekly Parsha for an insightful weekly shiur on the Parsha of the week.
Listen on Spotify or the new Jewish music and Podcast streaming platform 24six!
Access all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our new website, themotivationcongregation.org

----------------

Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:01.885 --> 00:00:03.249
It's basic Jewish jargon.

00:00:03.249 --> 00:00:04.783
You gotta know the phrase.

00:00:04.783 --> 00:00:09.816
It's actually a phrase so prevalent, so common, so versatile.

00:00:09.816 --> 00:00:11.762
You may have already used it some time today.

00:00:11.762 --> 00:00:19.126
You may have overheard it from friends outside on the street, or maybe out of the mouth of someone righteous inside of a base-mentorish.

00:00:19.126 --> 00:00:24.911
Maybe it was from a man, maybe you overheard a woman, maybe it came from a child.

00:00:24.911 --> 00:00:34.484
This slang term, and at times holy colloquialism, may be endowed upon a chasenef to be finished on the holy day of Rosh Hashanah.

00:00:34.484 --> 00:00:39.924
Or you just said this after somebody passed you the chips at some party.

00:00:41.283 --> 00:00:47.124
But I fear, ladies and gentlemen, the word, the lingo has gone too far and it's time we stop the madness.

00:00:47.124 --> 00:00:48.743
What is the word?

00:00:48.743 --> 00:00:51.219
You ask Shkoiach.

00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:54.460
You know that word Now.

00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:58.109
Shkoiach is kind of like saying thank you, like good job.

00:00:58.109 --> 00:01:15.719
But according to Oxford's etymological dictionary of Jewish jargon, it is actually a mash-up and compound word of two other words that stand for yasharkochacha, which means your strength, should endure, it should go forth straight, which.

00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:18.849
So it's kind of like saying keep up the good work.

00:01:18.849 --> 00:01:23.551
But over time people couldn't say the chz and it was yasharkochacha turned into yasharkoa.

00:01:23.551 --> 00:01:52.530
If you say it fast a lot, it goes yashkoyach, yashkoyach, yashkoyach, yashkoyach Anyway, we're kind of back to the original problem of saying the chz, but shkoyach it's popular, but when you come to Parshashki Sabo and you start to get involved in the laws of gratitude and you meet this fellow who has walked down into his garden and he's now commanded to bring b'kour in first fruits, it may make you think twice about the word shkoyach.

00:01:53.519 --> 00:02:08.318
You see, in order for him to fulfill his obligation of giving thanks to Hashem for his new found wealth, his parnas at the beginning of his crop, he ties a cord around it, grabs his friends, he puts it inside of a basket, he brings it up to the Harabayas.

00:02:08.318 --> 00:02:11.628
He goes and finds the kohayn that is available in his days.

00:02:11.628 --> 00:02:13.223
They start to wave it.

00:02:13.223 --> 00:02:17.329
There's song, there's joy, there's musical instruments.

00:02:17.329 --> 00:02:25.460
He must jump and leap into this verbal, audible declaration of a brief summary of Jewish history.

00:02:25.741 --> 00:02:35.788
There was a guy named Laban, and he tried to kill my grandfather, and then we went down to Egypt and don't ask me about that, that was a whole thing and then God saved us, though, and now we're here and all of a sudden, I got these beautiful figs.

00:02:35.788 --> 00:02:42.270
But Anis of Amar, the gratitude, the halakos of b'kourim are that.

00:02:42.270 --> 00:02:43.633
It must be audible.

00:02:43.633 --> 00:02:51.705
We also see from here, says Rabir Uchum, that at times you give context to what exactly the person did for you.

00:02:51.705 --> 00:02:57.168
You held the door open for me, but really I was late to a meeting, so you don't even know how much gratitude, how thankful I am towards you.

00:02:57.168 --> 00:02:59.491
Now I got the job and you give some background information.

00:02:59.512 --> 00:03:04.985
All the way back to Laban is where we're going just for these figs, and you do it with Simcha.

00:03:04.985 --> 00:03:25.012
The grandparents always ask to see footage of their grandkids smiling when they're using the Chanukah present that they just bought for them, because the excitement and the Simcha that you give to somebody when you're delivering a thank you message to them further delivers what you're really feeling in your heart.

00:03:25.012 --> 00:03:43.603
So, with the abundance of phrases to use to bestow gratitude upon the chazen, upon your friend, upon anybody that has done something good for you, and you are recognizing the good that is truly impossible to ever be repaid.

00:03:43.603 --> 00:03:48.667
Is it sufficient just to say shkaya?

New to The Motivation Congregation?

Here are some great episodes to start with.

Shkoyach! An Exploration of Jewish Gratitude and its Cultural Significance

Listen On

Featured Episodes

Recent Episodes

New to The Motivation Congregation?