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It's a classic Yiddish saying — but did it come from a biblical story about Jesus?

JL;DR SUMMARY The Yiddish saying "mit eyn tokhes ken men nit tantsn af tsvey khasenes," meaning "you can't dance at two weddings with one behind," is explored for its rich cultural resonance and possible origins. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

YiddishCultural HistoryJewish LifeLanguageBiblical ReferencesMultitaskingWeddingsProverbsExpressionCultural Idioms

Places mentioned

Scotland, United Kingdom
"The singer, musician, and ethnomusicologist Michael Alpert, who is based in Scotland, noted that the expression is not only in Yiddish."
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
"said the linguist Michael Wex, an authority on Yiddish who is a native of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"said Jessica Kirzane, who teaches Yiddish at the University of Chicago and is the editor-in-chief of In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies."
Washington, United States
"said Sasha Senderovich, an associate professor at the University of Washington."

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Cairo Item ID 58238
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Retrieved 2025-07-31 05:31:15 UTC
Curated 2025-07-31 08:32:22 UTC