Author Archives: Edan Millstein

Sorrow

Main Piece: Sorrow

“Sorrow shared is sorrow halved” 

“צער משותף הוא צער בחצי”

Background Information:

This was a proverb that my mother grew up with in Israel. Her mother would say it to her in situations where it was applicable.

Context of the Performance:

This is said to somebody when they are experiencing sorrow when others also feel the same sorrow. It tells them that they are not alone in their sorrow and that they have support through others. Going through a sad situation alone is much more difficult than experiencing it with somebody else because there is somebody to talk about it with that shares the same experience.

My Thoughts:

I have not encountered this proverb before, but it is a very applicable one. It is always better to have somebody to talk about a sad situation with and this proverb summarizes that truth very well.

Corpse

Main Piece: Corpse

“Bleeding a dead corpse”

Background Information:

The informant has heard that bleeding the living people was done a long time ago to help cure people of diseases. It never had any scientific backing and does not actually cure anybody of any diseases. So, if bleeding an alive person to cure them of a disease does not work, then surely bleeding a dead corpse will not work either.

Context of the Performance:

This is normally said to somebody who is trying to complete a task that is not possible or that is unnecessary. It is said to them because it implies that they should rethink the task that they are trying to complete.

My Thoughts:

This is a phrase that I want to use in the future because I can think of many situations where I could say this and it would hold true. However, I am unsure about how many people know what the phrase “bleeding a dead corpse” will imply because they are unaware of the historical context that is a prerequisite to understanding the phrase.

Catch, but not throw

Main Piece: 

“What can you catch but not throw?”

“A cold!”

Background Information:

This riddle is a series of short riddles that are told for fun that are not that difficult to figure out. These riddles are mainly made up by the students themselves or occasionally found in joke or riddle books that some students have acquired during childhood. 

Context of the Performance:

This riddle, along with other riddles that are of a similar difficulty level are often told in elementary school through high school. They are normally told by the students themselves and are aimed at stumping the other students for fun. They occur within the classroom or passing periods and are used as a way to pass the time. 

My Thoughts:

I have heard this riddle before, but I have not heard it again since high school. I never really enjoyed these types of riddles, but that is mainly because I could never get the correct answer. I am also aware that there are many other riddles that take on a similar form and are at a similar level of simplicity.

Imagine

Main Piece: Imagine

“Imagine you’re in a room with no windows, doors, or any openings. How do you plan an escape?” 

“Stop imagining!”

Background Information:

This riddle is one of a series of riddles where you have to imagine yourself in a particular scenario that usually takes place in a type of nebulous room that you have to escape from. Oftentimes in these sorts of riddles, there are objects within the room that you can use to escape from the room. These are often challenging puzzles that require creativity and careful thought to figure out. However, this riddle is a play off of those riddles because there is nothing you can do to escape the hypothetical room other than stop imagining yourself within that room.

Context of the Performance:
These riddles, and riddles with the same premise as this one, are often told in a group of friends to try to stump people. There are many situations that the telling of this riddle is appropriate and there is no set time where this riddle should be performed. It is up to the teller of the riddle to decide when to tell it. However, due to the fact that this riddle is lighthearted, there are certain situations where it may not be appropriate, such as a funeral. 

My Thoughts:

I have heard countless variations of this style of riddle where you are stuck in a room and have to escape using the explanation of the layout of the room and what is inside of it. I was not able to solve this riddle because I was used to hearing the other riddles where there really is a way that you can escape the room using the tools and scenarios outlined by the speaker. With this riddle, you must think outside the box and essentially dismiss the riddle completely and stop imagining the scenario in order to arrive at the correct answer.

Wear red on 12th birthday

Main Piece: Chinese Superstition/Tradition

“It is a Chinese superstition/tradition to wear the color red every 12th birthday in order to ward off bad luck.”

Background Information:

This is a part of Chinese tradition and the informant learned this from one of her Chinese friend’s mother. The superstition also postulates that if you do not wear red on that birthday you are more susceptible to bad luck

Context of the Performance:

This tradition occurs every twelfth birthday. This is a Chinese tradition and it falls in line with wearing certain colors for certain reasons such as wearing white when getting married or wearing black during a funeral.

My Thoughts:

I have not heard of this tradition, but I have heard about other similar traditions that involve wearing certain colors for certain reasons such as communication or as a signal.