Good evening. First of all, I'm going to throw up. Click here.

Ok, all together now:

HOOOOOOOGGGHHHHAAAAHHH

Ok then.

So last year, right before Rosh Hashanah, I posted this. I should have posted something similar on Wednesday - in fact I meant to - but heheh, no time for such things when there are apples to peel and honey dishes to fill and linens to change and a husband to not disturb so he can finish composing his sermons. Which I missed. Again. On both days. Gosh darn it. I hear they were pretty good and stuff, but why should I believe it? Like anyone's going to tell me if they were bad?

Actually, come to think of it, some of our congregants probably would tell me if they were bad. Also come to think of it, my husband is a genius and the best speaker ever, so there's actually no way they were bad. Ok then.

So before I get to the topic I promised you (modern Othodoxy's abject terror of the Evil Right Wing), I thought I'd provide some fun little anecdotes regarding the word "rebbetzin." Been collecting these for a while, so here they are.

Anecdote #1
So I was talking to someone who happens to know I'm the RenReb, and this person was talking about my blog personality, and for some reason that I have yet to figure out, this person kept referring to my blog personality as "the Rebbetzin Rebbetzin," instead of, you know, "the Renegade Rebbetzin." This makes me wonder: Was this some sort of masked Freudian-type message? And if so, what was the message?

Anecdote #2
So I was visiting a shul wherein the wife of the rabbi is a generation and a half older than I, and as such she has been married to a pulpit rabbi for a few decades longer. Now, I happen to greatly admire this woman. She isn't quite like the dinner rebbetzin (not in the mood to hunt down links, do a search on my blog for "dinner rebbetzin" and you'll find out who she is), but she's definitely wise and inspiring and a lovely person to be around, and certainly I aspire to be at least a little bit more like her than I currently am.

So I was visiting her shul, and I happened to be standing near her, and a dude from her shul came over to us and said "Rebbetzin?" Immediately, we both turned our heads. Then the following exchange took place:

Me: Oh, look at that. I hear "rebbetzin," and I assume people are talking to me.

Elder rebbetzin (in an undertone, eyebrows raised): Careful - it's a disease!

[pause]

Well. Certainly not what I was expecting her to say. Which makes me wonder: Has this rebbetzin ever been accused of being RenReb?

Anecdote #3 (WARNING: this anecdote involves me being naked)
So I got myself a new doctor, by which I mean a new internist, and I went to my first appointment. So as instructed, I removed my clothing and put on one of the crisp paper gowns, and the nurse or whomever came in and took my weight and my height and asked me some random stuff, and then I hung out for a bit, and then the doc arrived and started asking me a bunch of questions of his own, and I answered them all whilst continuing to sit nakedly under my gown.

So he finished with the history and he had his back to me and was putting away the chart and getting ready for whatever was to come next, and while doing so he made small talk, as follows:

Doc: So you live right around here, right?

RenReb: Yes, for ## years now.

Doc: Oh, where before that?

RenReb: [CENSORED]

Doc: So what brought you to this area?

RenReb: My husband got a job here.

Doc: What sort of work does he do?

RenReb (sighing internally, bracing myself for whatever reaction is to follow): He's a rabbi, over at [CENSORED].

Doc (turns around; mouth drops open briefly; then, a huge smile forms): Really! Wow, no kidding! A rebbetzin, right here in front of me!

(Incidentally, his sudden and unexpected use of the word "rebbetzin" answered one thing I was wondering, which was whether or not he's Jewish, since he does have a Jewish last name)

So here's a word to the wise, folks. There's a time and a place for everything. If, for whatever reason, you feel an urge to use the word "rebbetzin" when addressing a person who is married to a rabbi - well, that's fine and all; however, if the rebbetzin you are addressing happens, for whatever reason, to be buck naked at the time - even under a paper robe - well, perhaps that isn't the best moment to use the word. I don't know, it just sort of removed the whole feeling of "it's-fine-that-this-man-is-going-to-see-me-naked-because-he's-a-doctor-and-this-is-a-medical-situation". Know what I mean?

Anecdote #4
So I saw a thing recently that advertised some sort of upcoming event wherein there were going to be a lot of speakers. Each speaker's name was listed, along with their profession. You know, like this (NOTE: I am making these up):

Joe Goldstein
Principal, Jewish Academy of America

Rachel Cohen
Educator and Lecturer, Jewish Hills, Montana

Herschel Krustofski
Clown, The Simpsons


And so forth. So one of them said the following (this name is ALSO made up):

Rebbetzin Sophie Friedberg
Rebbetzin, Congregation Jewish Souls of Jewville, Kentucky


Ah. So apparently, "rebbetzin" is Mrs. Friedberg's job title, or at least, it was all the conference organizers felt the prospective attendees needed to be told about her in order to be attracted (or not) to hearing her speak.

So this made me wonder, as I observed my reaction, which was a combination of huffiness and wistfulness: Does seeing the word "rebbetzin" used in this manner make me think to myself "My, I sure do wish people would stop making assumptions about people just because they're married to rabbis"? Or, does it make me think to myself "Nobody would ever use 'rebbetzin' as my job description, and that's because I'm not worthy of it"?

Or, does it make me think both of those things?

Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser.

Ok, that's all for now. Please use the rest of this week wisely, and have an easy couple of fasts (hey, have I ever mentioned that I HATE FASTING?), and if I don't check in before Friday, have a גמר חתימה טובה.

Labels: The Rebbetzinate

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at 9/15/2007 10:51:00 PM.