Shanah tovah, matey!

Here at Jewschool, we have covered many calendrical confluences, from the total lunar eclipse on Purim to Birkat Hachamah on Erev Pesach to Ice Cream For Breakfast Day on Tu Bishvat. But all of those pale in comparison to the big one that we’ve been awaiting for years: Rosh Hashanah on International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!

The 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah fell on September 19, 2001, but that was before The Onion gave us permission to laugh again, so talking like a pirate was the last thing on our minds at the time. Other than that, this year is the first combined Rosh Hashanah / TLAPD since TLAPD was founded in 1995. The next time will be in 2020.

So, to help us prepare for this rare conjunction, here are 10 ways to incorporate Talk Like A Pirate Day into the Rosh Hashanah liturgy:
1) (the obvious one) sound the shofARRRRR!
2) …made from rams stolen from another ship
3) (in communities that read Genesis 21) read the story of HagARRRRRR!
4) (in communities that read Genesis 22 on the first or only day) …al echad heHARRRRRim … vaYARRRRRR et hamakom meirachok.
5) Apples and honey can prevent scurvy.
6) …et yom hazikARRRRRRon hazeh…
7) Throw your enemies overboard for tashlich.
8 ) The HadARRRRR CD is sold out, so get a PIRATED copy.
9) Show up without a ticket.
10) Who shall live and who shall die, who by sword and who by walking the plank! ARRRRRR!!!

If you can’t wait until 2020 to do it all over again, Talk Like A Pirate Day 2013 is the first day of Sukkot; start practicing your lulav swordfights! Also it will be none other than Yom Kippur in 2018; I totally want to lein Jonah that year.

UPDATE: We’ve been linked from the official Talk Like A Pirate Day site!!!

Filed under Holidays, Rosh haShanah

19 Responses to “Shanah tovah, matey!”

  1. Scurvy is prevented by citrus fruits, FYI.

    But this is pretty damn hilarious.


    David A.M. Wilensky · September 17th, 2009 at 12:46 am
  2. I covered this in 2007 on my blog (When it fell during aserrrrrrrret yamei tshuvah). Here are some useful links for those in need of secualr assistance in talking like a pirate:

    a tutorial Alas, they do seem to lack instruction on the proper way to address a female pirate, or pirate captain (Such as:
    Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus (in Greece) — 480 B.C.
    Princess Rasla — Norwegian Viking.
    Grace O’Malley, a.k.a. Granuaile, Grainne O’Malley —1500s, Atlantic, commanded three galleys and 200 men. (My personal favorite, having bested Queen Elizabeth in a personal meeting by use of a handkerchief))
    Lady Killigrew — 1530-1570, Atlantic.
    Anne Dieu-le-veut — 1660s, Caribbean buccaneer.
    Anne Bonny, aliases Ann Bonn and Fulford, 1719-1720, Caribbean.
    Mary Read, alias Mark Read — 1718-1720, Caribbean.
    Sadie the Goat — 1800s, New York State.
    Qi Sao (Seventh Elder Sister-in-law) — South China Sea, commanded a fleet of 20 ships.
    Shi Xainggu (better known as Cheng I Sao, Ching Yih Saou, or Zheng Yi Sao) — 1801-1810, South China Sea, commanded either five or six squadrons consisting of 800 large junks, about 1,000 smaller vessels, and between 70,000 and 80,000 men and women.
    Gertrude Imogene Stubbs — alias “Gunpowder Gertie, the Pirate Queen of the Kootenays”, 1898-1903, Kootenay Lake and river system of British Columbia, Canada.)

    short bios for the ladies hereand here. This list also includes women privateers.


    KRG · September 17th, 2009 at 7:43 am
  3. Oh, yes, the post – sorry….. (With videos!)


    KRG · September 17th, 2009 at 7:45 am
  4. David: Actually, scurvy is caused by Vitamin C deficiency and apples are considered a good source of Vitamin C.


    T · September 17th, 2009 at 10:18 am
  5. this is why you’re awesome :)


    spice · September 17th, 2009 at 11:00 am
  6. BZ

    I’m surprised you forgot “hARRRRahaman Hu yihadesh aleynu et-hashana hazot l’tova ul’v'ARRRRakha.”

    Ketiva v’Hatima Tova


    Rabbi Matt Carl · September 17th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
  7. Over at the Talk Like A Pirate Day web site (talklikeapirate.com), we’ve been hearing from lots of Jewish pirate fans about their plans for incorporating pirattitude into their Rosh Hashanah observances, but yours is the best we’ve seen. Hope ye don’t mind our linking to yer blog, mate!


    Jezebel
    Webwench to the Pirate Guys


    Jezebel · September 17th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
  8. And the reaction to this conjunction? “Aarrgh gevalt, maties!”


    Andrew Pinkowitz · September 17th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
  9. Remind me to give the choir a heads-up before starting Se’u SheARRRRim… we’ve rehearsed the Lewandowski, but perhaps we should find an arrangement by KwARRRRtin instead!


    Melissa Puius · September 17th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
  10. [...] If you’re concerned that Talk Like A Pirate Day conflicts with the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah this year there’s a great guide on how to incorporate the two holidays here. [...]


    Law Firm CTO · Talk Like A Pirate Day · September 18th, 2009 at 10:26 am
  11. At my house, we love to “talk like a pirate”! Main influences: Monty Python, Hook, and The Princess Bride. My husband’s favourite, “Send the wench back to me now!” I’m still working on a good pirattitude for services tomorrow. In the mean time…”Polly wants an aliyah!” Shanah Tovah!


    Malkah Tzvia · September 18th, 2009 at 11:14 am
  12. [...] Originally Posted by bananabrain apparently it also coincides with this year’s "international talk like a pirate day", so shanah tovarrrrr and don’t forget to blow thy shofarrrr, d’ye see, damme for a lizard else. b’shalom bananabrain I saw a post about that in my RSS feed a few days back: Shanah tovah, matey! | Jewschool [...]


    Happy New Year - Page 2 - Interfaith forums · September 18th, 2009 at 11:54 am
  13. AAAAAR-Men! to that one!


    Richard Pearce · September 19th, 2009 at 7:01 am
  14. [...] holiday, and this year it happens to fall on Rosh Hashanah, so to all the Jewish folks out there, Shana Tovarrrrrh! Now if only I could get our new parakeet shoulder-trained in time … oh well, maybe next [...]


    Talk Like A Pirate Day « Dave Williams’ Blog · September 19th, 2009 at 9:46 am
  15. [...] September 19, 2009 by Alex Zonis Happy apples and honey to everyone who celebrates a New Year today! Interestingly enough this year the Jewish New Year coincides with the “Talk like a pirate” day. So if you are a pirate of a Jewish persuasion or a Jew aspiring to be a pirate here are some pointers:  Shana Tova, matey! [...]


    “Now what?!” « Pencil Scribbles · September 19th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
  16. “Eit ShaARRRRei Ratzon”

    A gutten YARRRRR, me maties!


    B.BarNavi · September 20th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
  17. And it’s alway’s great to kick off the year with Captain Morgan. “Yo ho ho…”


    B.BarNavi · September 20th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
  18. Amost forgot… in the Sephardic tradition, the Sha”Tz, during Qaddish Titqabbal, repeats the word “Sha`arei” in succession, as in “Sha`arei ora, sha`arei ahava ve’ahva, sha`arei berakha…”. I can count FIFTY-ONE repetitions of the word.
    Normally, I would consider this a golden opportunity to talk like a pirate, but I’d think people would get REALLY tired after the fifth “sha`ARRRRRRei”.


    B.BarNavi · September 21st, 2009 at 12:02 am
  19. Have any of you had the chance to read this yet? sometimeslizwrites.blogspot.com/2009/09/ahoy-vey.html It’s a pretty great little story on this topic called “Ahoy Vey.”


    Jackie Granick · September 23rd, 2009 at 8:07 am

Leave a Reply

If your comment does not immediately appear, do not freak out and repost your message a dozen times. Please note that all new visitors must have their first comment approved by the editor, and you must provide a legitimate e-mail address and use the same username for the system to "remember" you. The editor maintains the right to refuse comments deemed inappropriate or unhelpful. Users who repeatedly delve into ad hominem attacks or other troll-like behavior will be banned.

Trackback (Right-click & 'Copy Link...') | Comments RSS

"I may attack a certain point of view which I consider false, but I will never attack a person who preaches it. I have always a high regard for the individual who is honest and moral, even when I am not in agreement with him. Such a relation is in accord with the concept of kavod habriyot, for beloved is man for he is created in the image of God." —Rav Joseph Soloveitchik