Sabedoria Judaica

Even bastards can be cleansed with money.

The lion dreads the gnat.

All that God does is done for the best.

No man tells lies at death's door.

Buttered bread always falls dry side up.

❖

The heart and the eye are the two agents of sin.

A thing learned in childhood is proven in old age.

There is no such thing as boneless meat.

All flatter a king.

Not everyone who sits in the seat of honor is master.

❖

Who drains his glass in a single gulp is deemed greedy.

Good deeds are done by good people.

The thief on the point of breaking
into a house calls on God for help.

A woman is not a lemon whose
quality you can judge at once.

It is best not to live in a city run by scholars.

❖

When you open a door, do not forget to close it,
and treat your mouth the same way.

Confession by the defendant is as good as a hundred witnesses.

Sometimes it is not the office that makes the man
but the man that makes the office.

A pregnant woman wants toasted snow.

Honor will come at the end.

❖

The absent are always to blame.

If my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a bus.

The talk of the child in the street
is that of his father or his mother.

Fortune is a wheel that turns with great speed.

Time works wonders.

❖

As you are at seven, so you are at seventy.

One drop of love can create a sea of tears.

Who serves two kings deceives one of them.

Even a weaver is a master in his own home.

The egg of today is better than the hen of tomorrow.

❖

A dog away from its accustomed
place barks not for seven years.

If you quarrel with the rabbi, make peace with the bartender.

Together with the shrub the cabbage is beaten.

Bad servants do the thing first and then seek counsel.

People will not lie about anything that can be found out.

❖

Words that come from the heart enter the heart.

He who has a lawsuit should go to a judge.

The cantor does not sing without a fee.

A scrap will not satisfy the lion.

Never waste good agony.

❖

Where the head goes, there goes the trunk.

Falsehood is common, truth uncommon.

The door which is not opened for charitable
purposes will be opened to the physician.

A word aptly spoken is like an apple of gold
in a setting of carved silver.

If velvet and silk hang in your closet, you can step out in rags.

❖

Those who live near a waterfall, do not hear its roar.

All delay is to the good.

If the lawsuit has been adjourned
overnight, the case is at an end.

Thread by thread the largest robe is woven.

Hard work never killed anyone.

❖

Uphill we always climb with caution, downhill we dash, carefree.

Bright eyes gladden the heart;
good news fattens the bones.

Show a dog a finger and he wants the whole hand.

With a good son-in-law you find a son,
with a bad one you lose your daughter, too.

Give someone nuts and he will throw the shells at you.

❖

The believer asks no questions,
while no answer can satisfy the unbeliever.

A person's desires grow day by day.

In time, even a bear can learn to dance.

Whatever you have to your discredit,
be the first to tell it.

Caution brings speed in the end.

❖

Sins hide not in your sleep but in your dreams.

A priest helps a priest.

If you sleep on a quarrel it becomes less serious.

There are three things you cannot hide;
coughing, poverty and love.

An old man in the house is a snare;
an old woman in the house is a treasure.

❖

Old friends, like old wines, don’t lose their flavor.

Who has the cash in his hand has the upper hand.

Gray hair is a glorious crown won by a righteous life.

The wheel always comes full circle.

A book gives knowledge, but it is
life that gives understanding.

❖

If a clever man is angry, his wisdom quits him.

Two together are luckier than one.

Any man surrounded by dwarfs,
looks like a giant.

Love is called the daughter of the skies
because it grows wings quickly.

Ugliness is the only guardian angel a woman has.

❖

If you go up to the roof, take your provisions with you.

When schnapps goes in, judgment goes out.

Even and angel cannot do two things at the same time.

The king of birds is the eagle.

He whom a serpent has bitten is terrified at a rope.

❖

Idleness leads to boredom.

There is no such thing as tasty medicine.

All cantors are fools, but not all fools are cantors.

Money buys everything but good sense.

When the sin is sweet, repentance is not so bitter.

❖

Every penny counts.

The camel went to seek horns, and the ears
which it possessed were cut off.

A book without a preface is like a body without a soul.

If the eyes of a bride are beautiful,
no need to examine the rest.

Too much good food is worse than too little bad food.

❖

Better to err than wittingly to sin.

Pride is unbecoming in women.

You cannot be a broom and remain clean.

He who rents one garden will eat birds;
who rents gardens, the birds will eat him.

The intelligent man is the one that knows
how to put two and two together.

❖

Admission by the defendant is worth a hundred witnesses.

Let the owner of the garden remove his own thistles.

When a dog is hungry it eats even dung.

Better one bird tied up than a hundred flying.

No bride is ugly on her wedding day.

❖❖❖

When scholars vie, wisdom mounts.

If you are born an ass, you will die one.

Who steals from a thief goes unpunished.

From your lips to God’s ear.

The fly does not kill, but it does spoil.

❖

A fool is incurable.

If you want to be a barber, practice on someone else’s beard.

To be a critic is easier than to be a
n author.

As the garden, so the gardener.

Nobody throws away his money for no reason.

❖

Who cuts down good trees sees no profit.

Gold buys silver, but silver does not purchase gold.

The husband is master of the home if the wife is out-of-doors.

A gate once widened stays wide.

It is better to eat vegetables and fear no creditors,
than to eat duck and hide from them.

❖

When the shepherd is angry with his flock,
he appoints a blind sheep as leader.

Childhood is a crown of roses, old age a crown of thorns.

Some prefer vinegar and some prefer wine.

A golden key opens all gates.

If you lie with dogs, you get up with fleas.

❖

There can be no joy without food and drink.

Anxiety breaks a man's backbone.

No judge should sentence a person
he likes or one he dislikes.

While you're fire is burning,
go cut up your pumpkin and cook.

Boldness is royal power without a crown.

❖

Once a horse is born, someone will be found to ride it.

While the sandal is on your foot, tread down the thorns.

A bargain has charm for the customer.

Lust only longs for things forbidden.

Wisdom is more precious than pearls.

❖

I felt sorry I had no shoes until
I saw a man who had no feet.

The common soldiers do the fighting,
and the officers claim the victory.

A scholar who abandons study is like
a bird that strays from the nest.

In the hour of distress, a vow;
in the hour of release, forgetfulness.

We are too soon old, and too late wise.

❖

Cast no mud into the well from which you have drunk.

Peace is to man, what yeast is to dough.

With a little cash in hand you have the upper hand.

He who is in pain should go to the doctor.

The elephant is frightened of the gnat.

❖

A false witness is worthy of being cast to the dogs.

My pen is my harp and my lyre; my library
is my garden and my orchard.

When the hands are many, they can
break down the stoutest of walls.

Every pumpkin is known by its stem.

The Lord created two desires, one for good and one for evil.

❖

A proud man is unacceptable even to his own household.

If not for the light, there would be no shadow.

Two voices cannot enter one ear.

Better a sardine on the dish than a flounder in the sea.

Once a man repents, stop reminding him of what he did.

❖

Wine tops the list of all medicines.

Do not bargain when you are out of cash.

Serve wine to the man used to drinking it,
and greens to the gardener.

Who tells the truth loses his friends.

A man first builds a house and
afterwards brings in the furniture.

❖

No man dares to be rude to his creditor.

Youth is a crown of roses; old age a crown of willows.

If a thief finds nothing to steal, he thinks himself honest.

There is no book that has not something bad in it,
none that has not something good.

A bad woman is as hard as a harsh winter's day.

❖

Many old camels carry the hides of young ones.

When an old lady wants to feel happy, she recalls her dowry.

Every river has its own course.

Silence profits the wise and even more the fool.

A bribe blinds the clever, and how much more so the fool!

❖

if you have the money, your opinion is accepted.

There is one thing one cannot buy, one's parents.

Always marry for love, but it’s as easy to fall in love
with a rich person as a poor one.

Of two evils choose the lesser, of two women, the third.

Who follows his wife's counsel tumbles into hell.

❖

Gossip is silenced with gold.

The cloak is precious to its wearer.

A wife is one's heart's delight.

Knowledge acquired in childhood is not soon forgotten.

When the ox falls, its slayers are many.

❖

Confidence is half the victory.

Room can always be found for a delicacy.

You cannot chew with someone else’s teeth.

Don’t enter the forest if you fear the leaves.

Stains are not seen at night.

❖

Wine in, secret out.

All men are equal when they are underground.

One servant cannot serve two masters.

Tell your secret only to one in a thousand.

A graceful wife lends grace to her husband.

❖

If a farmer becomes a king, he will
still carry a basket on his back.

To get a gift means to return one.

A donkey that travels abroad will not return a horse.

No witness can become the judge.

Who has no brain needs brawn.

❖

Go out and see how the people act.

The pace of a donkey matches the oats it eats.

A pleasant home, a pleasant wife and
pleasant furnishings enlarge a man's mind.

If you stay at home you won't wear out your shoes.

Too many midwives kill the baby.

❖

Become not intoxicated and you will not sin.

Poverty follows the poor.

Words show the wit of a man, but actions shows his meaning.

He who pays his debt adds to his capital.

The mouth that forbids is the mouth that allows.

❖❖❖

A dream which has not been interpreted
is like a letter unread.

New troubles make us forget the old.

While the thorn is still young it produces prickles.

First learn, then form opinions.

Speech is silver, silence is golden.

❖

A pretty face is half a dowry.

Flight is the beginning of collapse.

The more you add, the worse it gets.

You cannot draw water with a sieve.

Any time of the day is good for confession.

❖

Shame induces us to fear sin.

The truth stands up, a lie does not.

A snake deserves no pity.

In the cemetery, there is no division.

Violence in a house is like a worm on vegetables.

❖

All dishes need salt, but not all need spices.

One should not leap through a book
from its end to its beginning.

With two dogs they killed the lion.

He whose stomach is full increases deeds of evil.

The best game of dice is the one not played at all.

❖

In the time of rejoicing, rejoicing;
in the time of mourning, mourning.

When the kettle boils over, it overflows its own sides.

Cheap borsht is a blessing to the toothless.

So many hymns, and so few noodles.

A pot belonging to partners is neither hot nor cold.

❖

If we cannot do what we want, we must want what we can.

There is no wheat without chaff.

An old man in the home is a curse, an old woman a blessing.

Old and true love never rusts.

Whoever falls and gets up gains a step.

❖

Grief destroys even a hero.

The first day indeed a guest; the second,
a nuisance; the third, a pest.

A house where one lives against one's will is no house.

Half a fool is worse than a whole one.

The dog in his hunger swallows dung.

❖

You cannot set a watch upon chastity.

Breasts adorn a woman and uglify a man.

The heart of a man may be compared to a sausage;
no one can tell exactly what's inside.

A meal without salt is no meal.

Lust leads to love.

❖

When people meet, they speak.

As the camel, so the load.

Silence is good for the wise,
how much more so for the foolish.

A glutton for cake often loses the bread.

If the wife wears the breeches,
the husband must rock the cradle.

❖

The robber is expert in robbery.

A woman comes out not only to see but also to be seen.

A book without an index is
like a house that is bolted and barred.

Money makes even a bastard legal.

When a divorced man marries a divorced woman,
there are four opinions in the marriage bed.

❖

Every man carries his worth in his basket.

The sorcerer mutters but knows not what he mutters.

A door once shut will not easily open again.

If I dealt in candles, the sun wouldn't set;
if I dealt in shrouds, people would stop dying.

Truth stands, falsehood does not stand.

❖

Better the bite of a friend, than the kiss of an enemy.

Profit and loss are companions.

You can’t swap jokes with the Angel of Death.

Guests, like fish, begin to smell on the third day.

The clothes hide the blemish.

❖

A young pumpkin now is better than
a full grown one later on.

Hurry and eat, hurry and drink, for this world is like
a wedding feast from which we soon depart.

Do not hurry like the almond, first to bloom and last to ripen;
be like the mulberry, last to blossom and first to ripen.

❖❖❖

All dumb people have a lot to say.

He falsifies who renders a verse just as it looks.

Lose an hour in the morning, chase it all day.

The schlemiel lands on his back and bruises his nose.

A jest is half a truth.

❖

Death does not knock on the door.

If you want your dreams to come true, don't over sleep.

One rotten apple spoils the other.

Walk straight and you will not fall.

A blow passes on, a spoken word lingers on.

❖

Even a ball of wool has a beginning.

Send a fool to close the shutters
and he'll close them all over town.

Stupid solutions that succeed are still stupid solutions.

When luck joins in the game, cleverness scores double.

An animal's end is slaughter.

❖

He that can't endure the bad, will not live to see the good.

Laugh and everyone sees it, cry and no one sees it.

The girl who can't dance says the band can't play.

You can make the dream bigger than the night.

Better a Jew without a beard than a beard without a Jew.

❖

Hope may give a man strength, but not sense.

Men will give away their last shirt to become millionaires.

The whole world is a dream, and death the interpreter.

A rich mouthful, a heavy groan.

Do not praise the rich man who has no money
to offer the poor, for he is poorer.

❖

If praying had helped, he could
have hired someone to do it.

One good deed has many claimants.

Trouble is to man what rust is to iron.

A joke driven too far brings home hate.

A good cry lightens the heart.

❖

Every answer can result in a new question.

If you're out to beat a dog, you're sure to find a stick.

Quiet streams erode the shore.

When the light is crooked, the shadow is crooked.

A fool who can keep silent is counted among the wise.

❖

God is an honest payer, but a very slow one.

In the mirror everybody sees his best friend.

Ten enemies cannot do a man
the harm that he does to himself

When the ox just stumbles, they all sharpen their knives.

As we live, so we learn.

❖

Health comes before making a livelihood.

Make no more haste than good speed.

The first time it's smart; the second time it's cute;
the third time you get a sock in the teeth.

A child's tear rends the heavens.

Come for your inheritance and you
may have to pay for the funeral.

❖

If one link has broken so has the whole chain.

Once poor, never rich.

To fall off a good horse is at least worthwhile.

As the fat man gets thinner, the thin one is already dead.

Heaven and hell can both be found on earth.

❖

Man plans, God laughs.

The gatekeepers are worse than the directors.

A man is not honest simply because he never had a chance to steal.

Don't be scared when you have no other choice.

If you find your friend on the sofa at home
with your wife, you had better sell the sofa.

❖

Praise the young and they will blossom.
Curse the young and they will wither.

What value is a needle without an eye?

A dead man is mourned seven days; a fool, his whole lifetime.

Everything ends in weeping.

If you tell the truth, you don't have to swear.

❖

The truth doesn't die but it lives like a poor man.

With money in his pocket, a fool thinks he
is handsome, and wise, and sings beautifully.

Ask and you won't get lost.

He that cannot obey cannot command.

Love is blind; jealousy sees too much.

❖

The ugliest life is better than the nicest death.

A friend you get for nothing; an enemy must be earned.

Charge nothing and you'll get a lot of customers.

If you lie on the ground, you can't fall.

No man suffers from another's sins—
he has enough of his own.

❖

There's plenty of time to bemoan bad fortune once it arrives.

A dog without teeth will also attack a bone.

Don't live in a town where there are no doctors.

If the head doesn't work it's bad news for the legs.

Parents can give love but not common sense.

❖

What will be, will be.

A wise man knows what he says,
a fool says what he knows.

Flattery will get you nowhere.

If you don't want to do something,
one excuse is as good as another.

Sleep faster, we need the pillows.

❖

When a worm sits in horseradish,
it thinks there is nothing sweeter.

After nine months the secret comes out.

Good news always comes from far away.

It's good to hope, it's the waiting that spoils it.

The pen wounds deeper than an arrow.

❖

Worries wash away better with soup.

Being too nice can cost a lot.

Better the best of the worst
than the worst of the best.

I can't sing, but I'm an expert on it.

Money is round, so it rolls away.

❖

The heart is small and embraces
the whole wide world.

A quiet fool is half a sage.

Don't throw a stone into a well from which you have drunk.

If benevolence caused no heartache,
the world would be full of philanthropists.

One good forewit is worth two afterwits.

❖

Two burdens: to Moses; water, to God; the world.

Better a thief for a neighbor than an overzealous rabbi.

If there is bitterness in the heart, sugar
in the mouth won't make life sweeter.

Necessity can break iron.

To every answer you can find a new question.

❖❖❖

A clock that stands still is better than one that goes wrong.

Envy breeds hate.

If the bride can't dance, she blames the musicians.

Send a fool to the market and a fool he will return.

When a mother calls her child bastard,
you can take her word for it.

❖

A person can study for seventy years and at the end die a fool.

Generosity does not make a man poorer.

If a Jew cannot be a shoemaker,
he will dream of being a professor.

The eyes are the mirror of the soul.

You never lose a false coin.

❖

Better to die upright than to live on your knees.

Hire staff but do it yourself.

Measure the corn of others with your own bushel.

The longer a blind man lives, the more he sees.

A good friend is often better than a brother.

❖

Do not show a stick to a dog that has been beaten.

If you want to know what God thinks of money,
look at the people he gives it to.

One hand washes the other.

Treat me like a rabbi; watch me like a thief.

A guest is like rain: When he lingers on,
he becomes a nuisance.

❖

Every worm has its hole.

If you don't toil, you won't eat.

Provide for the worst; the best can take care of itself.

What's left over from the thief is spent on the fortune-teller.

A lock is meant only for honest men.

❖

God gave burdens, also shoulders.

If you play with a cat, you must not mind her scratch.

Tasty is the fish on someone else's dish.

When a thief kisses you, count your teeth.

Anger is a thorn in the heart.

❖

He who dances at the wedding, weeps at the funeral.

Like soap for the body so are tears for the soul.

The most certain thing in life is death.

You can wash your body but not your soul.

Charm is more than beauty.

❖

If a link is broken, the whole chain breaks.

Nothing tastes more bitter than the truth.

To assume is to be deceived.

A good man, but his mad dog
won't let you speak to him.

Each child brings his own blessing into the world.

❖

If I am like others, who will be like me?

People always sing the tune that pleases their benefactor.

What good is honor when you're starving?

Borrow causes sorrow.

If charity costs nothing, the world would
be full of philanthropists.

❖

One God and so many enemies.

What can you do with a good cow that gives
a lot of milk and then kicks the bucket over?

A fault-finder complains even that the bride is too pretty.

Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough
but not baked in the same oven.

If you can't endure the bad,
you won't live to witness the good.

❖

Stubbornness is the greatest ill.

When God wants to punish an idiot,
He teaches them a few words of Hebrew.

A hero is someone who can keep his mouth shut when he's right.

God could not be everywhere and therefore He made mothers.

It is not good to be alone, even in Paradise.

❖

The entire world rests on the tip of the tongue.

A person's worst enemy can't wish
on him what he can think up himself.

Cancer—schmancer! As long as you're healthy.

If you keep on talking, you will end
up saying what you didn't intend to say.

No blessing is bestowed on a secret.

❖

There is nothing new under the sun—
and that's why there remains such a mess.

A half truth is a whole lie.

Don't call a man honest just because
he never had the chance to steal.

If only one race has to be chosen, why the Jews?

Over the bottle many a friend is found.

❖

Weeping makes the heart grow lighter.

A table is not blessed if it has fed no scholars.

Flattery sits in the parlour when
plain dealing is kicked out of doors.

If God were living on earth, people would break His windows.

Silence is also speech.

❖

When a fool has the cow by the horns,
the wise man can milk it.

A guest for a day is welcome the whole year.

Golden dreams make men wake hungry.

It is better to be ten times ill than one time dead.

The sun shines brighter after a shower.

❖

Words should be weighed, not counted.

Being miserly does not make a man richer.

He who stands by his point of view,
must be ready to suffer hunger.

Make new friends, but don't forget the old ones.

The best horse needs a whip, intelligent men
need advice, and the devout man needs a woman.

❖

A man too good for the world is no good for his wife.

Don't throw away the old bucket until
you know whether the new one holds water.

If your heart is bitter, sugar in the mouth won't help.

One does not live on joy or die of sorrow.

Truth never dies, but lives a wretched life.

❖

A lazy messenger is not short of excuses.

Every pot will find its lid.

If you ever need a helping hand
you'll find one at the end of your arm.

Rob not, repent not.

When God wants people to suffer,
he sends them too much understanding.

❖

Don't ask questions about fairy tales.

If you can't bite, better not show your teeth.

One who wants to know is better than one who already knows.

When God wants to break a man's heart, he gives him a lot of sense.

A wounded soul is difficult to heal.

❖

From success to failure is one step;
from failure to success is a long road.

If one has nothing to answer, it is best to shut up.

The door of success is marked ‘push and pull.’

Whomever needs milk, bows to the animal.

An angry man is not fit to pray.

❖❖❖

He who puts up with insult invites injury.

It's astonishing how important
a man becomes when he dies.

The rich man doesn't pay, the debtor does.

A man cannot spin and reel at the same time.

Do good and ask not for whom.

❖

If the father marries the aunt, he's an uncle.

One lie is a lie, two lies are lies, but three is politics!

Too humble is half proud.

A penny is sometimes better spent than spared.

Every seller praises his wares.

❖

If we do not flatter ourselves, who will?.

Protest long enough that you
are right, and you will be wrong.

What a fool can spoil, ten wise men cannot repair.

A man's worst enemies can't wish
on him what he can think up himself.

God created a world full of little worlds.

❖

If you want to give God a good laugh, tell Him your plans.

Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom.

When a father gives to his son, they both laugh.

An unkept promise leads to a bad life.

He who comes for the inheritance
is often made to pay for the funeral.

❖

Life is the biggest bargain -- we get it for nothing.

The rabbi drinks the wine and asks the others to be happy.

You can't put a "thank you" in your pocket.

Better a slap from a wise man than a kiss from a fool.

How you run your life, that's how your clock will run.

❖

Money doesn't grow on trees.

The heart is half a prophet.

A cat loves fish, but won't risk its claws.

Dying while young is a boon in old age.

If you eat your all your bagels, you'll have
nothing in your pocket but the holes.

❖

Pearls around the neck, stones upon the heart.

What use is wisdom when folly reigns?

A fool says what he knows, and a wise man knows what he says.

Friends are needed both for joy and for sorrow.

If my grandmother had balls, she'd be my grandfather.

❖

Sometimes a penny is better spent than saved.

When you look to the heights, hold on to your hat.

Eggs may be smarter than the chickens,
but it doesn't take long for them to stink.

If one soldier knew what the other thinks,
there would be no war.

Perfection anywhere is very rare.

❖

When you sweep the house, you find everything.

A bird is known by his feathers.

God sends burdens..and shoulders.

It is far easier to spot faults in another than virtues in oneself.

The luck of an ignoramus is this:
He doesn't know that he doesn't know.

❖

You are ushered in according to your dress;
shown out according to your brains.

Ask about your neighbors, and then buy the house.

He that cannot ask cannot live.

Love me a little but long.

The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.

❖

A heavy purse makes a light heart.

Don't settle in a place where the doctor has gout.

If a man is destined to drown, he will
drown even in a spoonful of water.

Out of desperation, one finds.

We have far greater compassion for another's misfortune
than our pleasure in another's good fortune.

❖

A man cannot jump over his own shadow.

Fear is worse than the ordeal itself.

If you can't go over, it is best to go under.

Silence is the fence around wisdom.

When someone claims an inheritance,
he must pay for the funeral.

❖

A big crowd, but not a human being in sight.

A penny is a lot of money--if you haven't got a penny.

Golden dishes will never turn black.

It is the kindness, and not the harshness, in the
headmaster’s voice that pushes tough boys to cry.

The whole world is full of demons;
you just exorcise them out of yourself.

❖

Women can keep only one secret -- their own.

Before you start up a ladder, count the rungs.

He who talks a lot, talks about himself the most.

Lovers and thieves always look for darkness.

The innkeeper loves the drunkard, but not for a son-in-law.

❖

A bad peace is better than a good war.

Charity covers a multitude of sins.

If you pray for another, you will be helped yourself.

Nothing is too difficult. You only need to know how.

Time and words can't be recalled,
even if it was only yesterday.

❖

A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

Every poor man has a dry throat and wet boots.

If you put in, you can take out.

Rich man down and poor man up—
they are still not even.

When a son gives to his father, they both weep.

❖

A man should go on living -- if only to satisfy his curiosity.

God loves the poor and helps the rich.

In life, each of us must sometimes play the fool.

The doctor has a remedy for everything but poverty.

When a poor man eats a chicken, one or the other is sick.

❖

A farmer should not ride the king's horse.

Every question has an answer.

If you start thinking of death, you are no longer sure of life.

Seek advice, but use your own common sense.

Whomever looks for easy work goes to bed very tired.

❖

All of us are crazy in one way or another.

He who runs away from the fire, falls in the water.

It's easier to be a critic than an author.

The wolf is not afraid of the dog, but he
doesn't like the sound of his barking.

Your pot broken seems better than my whole one.

❖

Better an honest slap in the face than an insincere kiss.

Hell shared with a sage is better than paradise with a fool.

May God protect you from goyisha hands and yiddishe tongues.

Never try to be more foolish than the jester.

Too nice can cost a lot of money.

❖❖❖

A boil is fine as long as it's under someone else's arm.

Even in heaven, it is not good to be alone.

If you want people to think you are wise, agree with them.

Pride can live in the dungheap.

What a man thinks up for himself,
his worst enemy couldn't wish for him.

❖

A wise man hears one word and understands two.

Go quickly but don't fall off my step.

If all pulled in one direction, the world would keel over.

Talk too much and you talk about yourself.

When one lives, one experiences.

❖

An imaginary sickness is worse than a real one.

He who wins first, loses last.

Life is just like a dream—but don't wake me.

The grave is already dug and man still continues to hope.

You can't measure the whole world with your own yardstick.

❖

Better to hear curses than to be pitied.

How many will listen to the truth when you tell them?

Mix with your neighbors and you will soon
learn what's going on in your own house.

The scholar knows what she lacks knowledge of.

A lion doesn't fear a fly.

❖

Don't approach a goat from the front,
a horse from the back or a fool from any side.

If someone throws stones at you, throw back bread.

One chops the wood, the other does the grunting.

Truth is the safest lie.

A lie can take you far away—but with no hope of return.

❖

Fleas are not lobsters.

If the rich could hire someone to die for them,
the poor would make a wonderful living.

Some people are like new shoes—the cheaper
they are, the louder they squeak!

When brains are needed, brawn won't help.

All things grow with time, except grief.

❖

Happy is she who conducts herself honorably.

It's not as good with money as it is bad without it.

The wheel turns round.

You can't make cheesecakes out of snow.

A man is not old until his
regrets take the place of his dreams.

❖

From the black earth there grows the finest grain.

If things are not as you wish, wish them as they are.

The truth is not always what we want to hear.

You can't chew with somebody else's teeth.

Ask advice from everyone, but act with your own mind.

❖

He who marries for money earns it.

Love tastes sweet, but only with bread.

The nearer to the synagogue, the farther from God.

Not all nice things are dear, but those that are dear are nice.

Bygone troubles are a pleasure to talk about.

❖

If the eyes didn't see, the hands wouldn't take.

One old friend is better than two new ones.

We are all schlemiels.

A thief's end is hanging.

Experience costs blood.

❖

If it must always be better, it can never be good enough.

Shrouds are made without pockets.

When one must, one can.

A shlemiel lands on his back, and bruises his nose.

Gold's father is dirt, yet it regards itself as noble.

❖

It is better to have an ounce of luck than a pound of gold.

The talk of the day is the dream of the night.

With a child in the house, all corners are full.

Before you say a word you're
a master; afterwards, you're a fool.

He that lies on the ground cannot fall.

❖

Lovers do not need much room.

The body is a sponge, the soul an abyss.

A rich man who is stingy is the worst pauper.

Charity and pride have different aims,
yet both feed the poor.

If you would try to be like someone else,
who would want to be like you?

❖

No one sees his own hunchback.

Nothing falls from heaven.

They have a strong love bond;
he with himself and she with herself.

A golden key will open every lock.

Drive the horse with oats, not with curses and oaths.

❖

If your friend becomes your enemy,
he will be your enemy for life.

Parents can give their children
everything except good luck.

What you don't see with your eyes,
don't invent with your tongue.

A good name is better than a precious stone.

God is a father, happiness is a stepfather.

❖

In time, even a bear can be taught to dance.

The crow flies sky high and lands on a pig.

When you have left a country, you have left everyone.

As the sheep are shorn, the lambs shiver.

He who is not good for himself is no good for others.

❖

Look down if you would know how high you stand.

The wise man, even when he holds his tongue,
says more than the fool when he speaks.

Your neighbor's apples are the sweetest.

A chip on the shoulder indicates wood higher up.

God made man because he loves stories.

❖

Interest on debts grow without rain.

The way you prepare the bed, so shall you sleep.

Your health comes first—
you can always hang yourself later.

Better ask ten times than go astray once.

Hell is not as bad as the road that leads to it.

❖

Many complain of their looks, but none of their brains.

The heaviest thing in the world is an empty pocket.

A flatterer must not lose his temper.

Do not avenge yourself of fleas by burning up your bed.

If you have nothing to lose, you can try anything.

❖

Only a fool will stay a fool.

What you save is, later, like something found.

A deaf man heard how a mute told that a
blind man has seen how a cripple walked.

Give me, Lord, my daily bread, I will get my own brandy.

If two people say he is drunk, the third one should sleep.

❖❖❖

Surrounding yourself with dwarfs does not make you a giant.

When the time comes for you to live, there aren't enough years.

An empty barrel makes a lot of noise.

He who would have others pity him must pity others.

Laughter can be heard further than weeping.

❖

The apple does not fall far from the tree.

You find everything when you are spring cleaning.

Better ruined ten times than dead once.

Hope for miracles, but don't rely on one.

Men don't build on strange ground.

❖

The whole world is a big town.

A fool will jump into the bath and forget to wash his face.

Doctors and gravediggers are partners.

If each one sweeps before his own door,
the whole street is clean.

One ass calls the other a pack animal.

❖

True poverty does not come from God.

A meowing cat catches no mice.

Every man knows that he must die,
but no one believes it.

If the pupil is smart, the teacher gets the credit.

Rejoice not at your enemy's fall,
but don't pick him up, either.

❖

When both parties are right, it's a bad day for ‘right.’

A rich man's foolish sayings often pass for wise ones.

Had you gotten up early,
you wouldn't have needed to stay up late.

It's never too late to die or get married.

The rich man who is stingy is the worst pauper.

❖

You cannot hold your head high with your hand out.

Better an ounce of happiness than a pound of gold.

Health? Very nice! But where will we get potatoes?

Make sure to send a lazy man for the Angel of Death.

The longest road is the one that leads to your pocket.

❖

God: You do such wonderful things
for complete strangers; why not for me?

A quarrel is like an itch; the more
you scratch, the more it itches.

He who is silent means something just the same.

It's not so terrible when you lose money,
but when courage is lost, all is lost.

Spare us what we can learn to endure.

❖

The complete fool is half prophet.

‘For example’ is not the same as ‘proof.’

By day they're ready to divorce,
by night they're ready for bed.

If fortune calls, offer him a seat.

Never approach a goat from the front,
a horse from behind,
and a fool from either side.

❖

One should not send a cat to deliver cream.

Tomorrow your horse may be lame.

A man comes from dust & in dust he will end.
In the meantime it is good to drink a sip of vodka.

Don't be too sweet lest you be eaten up;
don't be too bitter lest you be spewed out.

If it goes, it goes, don't force it.

❖

If triangles had a God, He'd have three sides.

Prayers go up and blessings come down.

When a miller fights with a chimney sweep,
the miller gets black and the chimney sweep gets white.

A fool is his own informer.

God will provide -- ah, if only He would provide till He does.

❖

It is better to be in hell with a wise man
than in heaven with a fool.

The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have.

With time, even a bear can learn to dance.

Attractiveness is better than beauty.

He that cannot pay, let him pray.

❖

Love your neighbor, even if he plays the trombone.

The glaciers didn't freeze overnight.

A good enemy is better than a bad friend.

Charity excuseth not cheating.

If you lose your self-respect, you also lose the respect of others.

❖

No choice is also a choice.

There's no insurance against death and poverty.

A nation's treasure is its scholars.

Don't bargain with God.

If everyone were allowed to take from the world
all her heart desired, there would be nothing left.

❖

Parents once taught their children to talk.
Now their children teach them how to keep quiet.

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.

A rich man has no need of character.

Flattery makes friends and truth makes enemies.

If it were God's will, you could shoot with a broom too.

❖

Small children won't let you sleep,
bigger children won't let you live.

When your enemy falls, don't rejoice.

All signs are misleading.

He who has children will never die of starvation.

Look for cake, and lose your bread.

❖

The cold strengthens you more than hunger.

You do not fall because you are weak,
you fall because you think you are strong.

Beware of still water, a still dog, and a still enemy.

If you are lucky, even your ox will calve.

Mothers-in-law are fine so long as they are deaf and blind.

❖

The man who desires to know, knows more than
the man who knows everything already.

Understanding is something we're sure the other fellow hasn't got.

zzzzOne person enjoys a piece of hard cheese,
a second a spun out prayer chant, and a third a door to the street.

❖❖❖