Hatrack River Forum: La kayam? A fiddler on the roof question

This is topic La kayam? A fiddler on the roof question in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Anthro (Member # 6087) on :

To life!
To life!
La kayam? How do you spell it?

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

I think I've commonly seen it spelled "L'Chaim"

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

To life, to life!
L'Chaim
Be happy, be healthy,
Long Life!

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

*laugh* It is indeed generally transliterated as l'chaim. What amused me is that "lo kayam" would mean "[it] does not (or cannot) endure" -- rather the opposite notion.

Don't mind me, I amuse easily. [Big Grin]

[ September 12, 2004, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

*psst -- "lo kayam" means cannot exist, metukah*

But yeah, it is spelled l'chaim... it's difficult though, to translate the Hebrew "chhh" sound, and write it in English. I've seen many people do it different ways. The letter looks like this: ח in Hebrew. "Chaim" looks like this: חיים... [Wink]

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

*laugh* It's a biblical Hebrew (or rather, a bit later [Wink]

) thing again -- "lo kayam" is often used in the Gemara and other sources to mean "it cannot endure" (I guess deriving from "it cannot continue to exist"?).

Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :

lo Kayak, on the other hand, means your small boat has a leak.

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

Ah, evanti! My bad!

Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :

While lo jaime means, 'Jaime got his low rider, ese.'

Posted by Nato (Member # 1448) on :

Back in the spring, my University's student government elections a sociology major, running under the assumed name of Nikia Gutman, ran, promising that, "Nikia Guetman aligns himself with all oppressed people and the solidly middle class student body at the University of Oregon. If elected he will immediately resign. Nikia Gutman's policy is that he has no policy. Nikia Gutman urges you to vote. Nikia Gutman wishes to arise at exactly midnight. Nikia Gutman begs all to exclude Menachems Suv. Nikia Gutman promises that the L'chaim Society will continue to say L'chaim! Nikia Gutman believes in unity and progress! Nikia Gutman reuses paper plates then takes notes on them in class."