Yichus Explained

Yichus (yḥws), a Hebrew-based Yiddish word meaning "lineage". In some past and present Jewish communities, good - meaning descent from a family of high reputation - is necessary for a person to be considered as a potential marriage partner.

Colloquially, the term refers to the chain of origin for a statement, creative work or object.[1]

Etymology

first appeared in the Bible in the Book of Ezra.[2] It appears in 2:62 HE and 7:5 HE), where the Hebrew root (yud-chet-sin) means "relation to" or "related to."[2] In the later rabbinic Hebrew, the last letter of the root changed from sin to samekh, though the pronunciation and meaning remained unchanged. The latter spelling (yud-hey-samech) appears frequently in rabbinic literature.[3]

Although the word originated in Hebrew,[4] [5] the term is generally accepted as a Yiddish word that has flowed into Modern English. The Anglicized word has been transliterated as,[6],[7] [8],[9] and .[10]

History

As far back as the Talmudic era, being son-in-law to someone widely respected was valued.[11] Subsequently, even the of being son-in-law to the son-in-law and similar lineage links were valued.

From the 14th century onwards, was an important concern for Eastern European Jews.[7] Good could refer to Torah scholarship or wealth, while bad resulted from the suspicion of illegitimate descent.[7] However, many rabbis disapproved of the concept of, instead insisting on judging individuals based on their personal merits.[2] "In Lithuania some Jewish families hid their (lineage)".[12] There was a tension between on one hand, and "meritocratic leadership based on scholarship" on the other.[7] Judgments of became one of the mechanisms which determined social hierarchies.[7]

From the 19th century, the significance of declined as more marriages were based on romantic love,[13] and reformers criticized for leading to inbreeding within small circles of "acceptable" families.[7] However, nowadays is still an important qualification for marriage in charedi communities.[14] [15]

Yichus book

The family trees, or pedigree charts, of Jewish families, listing genealogy and family history records, have been identified with several names, among which are Yichus book,[16] [17] [18] Yichus brief,[19] and Yichus record.[20] [21]

To help a child trace lineage, some families would write a "Yichus book".[22]

The focus of a Yichus brief (letter of relationship)[23] is not as extensive as a Yichus Book[24] [23] [25] whereas a Yichus book or Yichus record/"sefer yuchsin"/registry[20] is community-oriented.

Some families also kept a separate "Register of Circumcisions".[22]

Types of yichus

Mechutan

Being the (מְחוּתָּן, father of one's child's spouse[26]) of a notable person is sometimes considered important enough to include in a wedding invitation and in giving other credentials.[27] [28] Although primarily used for same generation relatives, it can be used beyond that generation.[29]

Ben achar ben

Being a (literally son-after-son, i.e. patrilineal) descendant is sometimes considered more notable than other forms of descent.[30] [31] [32] [33]

Family names

For various reasons, surnames/family names were changed, and sometimes reverted.[22] Thus, Jewish family names have not always been a reliable indicator of ancestry. For example: certain family names, such as Cohen, are not as strongly indicative of being a Kohen as Katz.

External links

Notes and References

  1. See the entry at (the "unsigned comment" that is the 3rd entry at) that is timestamped "17:19, 15 May 2007". QUOTE: << If the original source has "yichus" (i.e., Jewish Encyclopedia or Britannica) ... >>
  2. Johnson. George. Jewish Word: Yiches. Moment Magazine. en.
  3. https://www.sefaria.org.il/search?q=%D7%99%D7%97%D7%A1&tab=text&tpathFilters=Talmud&tvar=1&tsort=relevance&svar=1&ssort=relevance Sefaria search: יחס
  4. Web site: Parshas Bamidbar (5771) - Got Yichus?.
  5. Nechemia,7:5
  6. News: The New York Times. Dina Abramowicz, 90, Librarian and Yiddish Expert, Dies. 9 April 2000.
  7. Web site: Yivo Encyclopedia - Yikhes.
  8. It was in the obituary of a YIVO expert who spelled it that The New York Times spelled it .
  9. Web site: Jewish English Lexicon.
  10. Web site: Yikhus and the early Hasidic movement. Glenn Dynner . Dynner . Glenn. Hundert . Gershon . McGill University.
  11. Gittin 31b, regarding being son-in-law of Exilarch.
  12. Web site: Rabbinical Genealogy . Center for Jewish History.
  13. https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/articles/2394/whats-yichus-got-to-do-with-it/ What’s Yichus Got to Do with It?
  14. Samuel C. Heilman, Defenders of the Faith: Inside Ultra-Orthodox Jewry, p.280
  15. Block, Sima Zalcberg. “‘The Art of the Deal’: Preferences in Spouse Selection among Parents in a Hasidic Community.” Israel Studies Review 28, no. 2 (2013): 61–82.
  16. Web site: Registry of "Who is a Jew" Realpolitik . January 2000. aishdas.org.
  17. Web site: Issues of Jewish Identity. 17 November 2013 .
  18. Web site: a "golden book" of "Jewish yikhes" - from an archive about Jewish life in Poland . YIVO Archives.
  19. Web site: Margolios Family Yichus Brief . davidbaisrebeinu.com. 29 September 2013 .
  20. News: Israel National News. June 22, 2004 . MK Porush: Approval of Civil Marriages Spells Disaster.
  21. Web site: R'Metzger deviates from chareidi view. 7 December 2009 .
  22. Book: Smart Jews: The Construction of the Image of Jewish Superior Intelligence. Gilman . Sander L.. 1997 . Doubleday . 9780803270695.
  23. Web site: From the Henry F. Skirball Collection: Some Recollections and Reflections. archive.org. 1990.
  24. Sefer HaYichus, singular, or Sefer HaYichusim, plural - on the word Yichus.
  25. "... drawn up about 15 years ago for one of our relatives. The letter dealt with the ancestors of ..."
  26. https://jel.jewish-languages.org/words/359 Jewish English lexicon: mechuten
  27. Web site: Video: Rav Yisroel Brog: How I Found My Mechutan . January 11, 2013. "Rav Yisroel Brog is the beloved and brilliant rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Tiferes Avigdor in Cleveland, Ohio. Rav Brog is... (link to Rav Avigdor Miller, ZTL)

    ex. "When he was 20 years old, he married the daughter of the Vilna Dayan, who was the son-in-law of ..."

  28. Pirchei weekly . May 5, 2018 . 4 . R'Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Agudas Yisroel of America.
  29. Ex. That man is a Mechutan to me - his grandson is married to my grand-daughter.
  30. Book: Who Will Lead Us?: The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America. 978-0520966482. Each group could claim that its candidate had the necessary family ties. Benzion Aryeh Leib was a holy seed and was the recognized, as well as the, son, grandson, and great-grandson of the first, second, and third Bobover Rebbes. Although he had no sons, Naftali, the Fourth Rebbe, had two daughters, and [...] . 126 . Samuel C. Heilman . 2017. Univ of California Press .
  31. (FIL=Father-in-law) Web site: Rebbe Eliezer Chaim Rabinowitz . kevarim.com . December 17, 2007 . My FIL is a ben achar ben.
  32. Web site: Beis Medrash of the Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk Miraculously Redeemed. ... a ben achar ben of the famed .... March 8, 2017 . hamodia.com.
  33. Web site: Rebbe Avroham Yosef Yuska Gottesman. .. is a descendant ben achar ben of ...

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