‫‬ווערטער (Vocabulary)

• שנײַדער (shnayder): tailor

• וווינט (voynt): lives

• שטעטל (shtetl): small town

• האָלצערנע (holtserne): wooden

• אַרבעט שווער (arbet shver): works hard

• קראָם (krom): shop

• וואַרעם (varem): warm

• פֿאָדעם (fodem): thread

• קליידער (kleyder): clothes

• נײַ (nay): new

• פּאַלטאָ (palto): coat

• שיין (sheyn): beautiful

• קנעפּלעך (kneplekh): buttons

• רײַכער מאַן (raykher man): rich man

• פֿאַרקויפֿן (farkoyfn): to sell

• איבערראַשט (iberrasht): surprised

• געלט (gelt): money

• ווײַב (vayb): wife

• פֿאַרריכט (farrikht): fixed, repaired

• שמייכל (shmeykhl): a smile

• באַלוינונג (baloynung): prize

• ווערט (vert): worth

English Translation

Mendel's Coat

Mendel is a tailor. He lives in a small town with wooden houses. He works hard every day, from morning until late. His shop is small, but warm and full of thread. People come to him with old clothes. Mendel fixes the clothes to look new.

One day, Mendel has a new coat in his shop. The coat is very beautiful. It is brown and has golden buttons. Everyone in the town talks about the coat. Who'll buy this beautiful coat?

A rich man from the big city comes to the town. He hears about the coat. He goes to Mendel's shop. He sees the coat and wants to have it. He asks Mendel: "How much does it cost?"

Mendel smiles. "It's not for sale," he says. The rich man is surprised. "I will give you a lot of money!" he says. But Mendel says no again.

The man does not understand. Why doesn't the tailor want to sell it?

Mendel takes the coat from the wall. "This is not a new coat," he says softly. "This is my wife Golda's old coat. I repaired it for her. She is a good woman. Her smile is my best prize. It is worth more than all the money."