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The name of the Lubavitcher Rebbetzin



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roza




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, May 18 2005, 10:10 am
I found this article very interesting
Quote:

The name of the Lubavitcher Rebbetzin

The phtograph published below is not the subject of our post.
On the picture are Rebbe Rayatz's daughter Sheina (in the middle) with her groom Mendel Horenstein and his sister Sonya. The couple perished in Holocaust. Horensteins could not escape because Rayatz and Rachag’s family hand Latvian citizenship, while Horensteins were Polish citizens.


Also published is a note in Russian from the back of the photograph. It is written to Moussia, Sheina’s sister and future Lubavitcher Rebbetzin. It reads: To dear and lovely Mousenka.Otvozk, Feb. 5, 29.



It is obvious that Sheina called her sister "Moussia" not "Mushka". Also there is a scan of the Rebbetzin's death certificate on page 5. Written by the Rebbe, or with his knowledge. Again her legal name is Moussia. I know the story about Mazeivah and Rebbe's Sicha. I still think this all a grand confusion. In Litvisher Loshen Koidesh and Yiddish Shin is pronounced Samech or Sin. So Mushka with Shin is really Muska. Thousands of Lubavitcher girls are going around with a wrong name.

P.S. Muska is a diminutive of Musia. A more gentle diminutive of this name is "Musenka", this is what in fact is written on the photograph. Mushka was never used as a diminutive of this name, in Russian it means a bug.

UPDATE #1 According to Shmuel Gorr's "Jewish Personal Names," published by Avotaynu, both Mushka and Muska come from the earlier Old French name Muskat or Muscade, which means Nutmeg.

Musia is a common (mostly Jewish) name in Russia. Mushka is unheard of name (as I mentioned it means a bug in Russian, hardly an incentive to use it). A lot of Yiddish names spelled in transliteration according to the sound. So if you ask any Litvak (this inlcludes Lubavitchers) to spell it, he will spell it with a Shin or Samech. The references to the Old French name Muskat or Muscade only proves that point.

.......: Except that Mushka would be the legal Jewish name according to Professor Esterson, who researched these names extensively and put together the JewishGen database.
It's interesting that Shmuel Gorr (mentioned above) was a Lubavitcher, and, as far as I can see, does NOT show Musia or Mushka or Muska to be female versions of Moshe. He only notes the Old French Muscade or Muskat, meaning nutmeg. Gorr's ommission of this definition in his work, and the fact that he was a Lubavitcher, may point to the Muskat origin of the Rebbetzin's name. Indeed, if the Rebbe saw Gorr's work before it was published and I believe this to be the case it may, in fact, prove it.
By the way Gorr was Australian. He made aliya in the 1960's and passed away suddenly in 1988 at the age of 57. He received special permission from the Rebbe to devote his life to research, rather than shlikhut or the rabbinate.

.......: Muskat will point to the proper “S” sound in the name. By the way Alfred Kolatch's dictionary lists “Moshit” as a female version of Moshe..

UPDATE #2
MUSKA is from MUSCAT
Let's see what's in the dictionary. MUSKAT from Old French, from Old Provençal MUSCAT, from MUSC, from Late Latin MUSCUS.

Late Latin MUSCUS, from Greek MOSKHOS, from Persian MUSK, probably from Sanskrit MUSKA, testicle.
We made a full cricle now.


just to add, I myself did not name my daughter Mushka because it means bug in russian, if I would know that the real name was Musya, and that's how the Rebbetzin was actually called in the family, I would consider that name.
My friend calls her daughter Musya, or Musenka.
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juggler




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, May 18 2005, 10:23 am
Roza, the real name (I know this as fact) was Chaya Mushka. The nickname was Moussia or Musinka. She may have been called that for the very reason you mentioned, because of the russian translation of Mushka, but the original name is probably after the wife of the Tzemach Tzedek, also named Chaya Mushka. But for those who want to name Moussia, it ia a real name, just not the given name of the rebbetzin.
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, May 18 2005, 10:36 am
ive seen copies of telegrams sent by the Rebbetzin where she signed "Moussia Schneersohn"

but her real name has to be Chaya Mushka because that was also the wife of the Tzemach Tzedek (3rd Lubavitcher Rebbe)
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daisylover




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, May 26 2005, 10:45 am
I agree that the name is really chaya mushka, but I am now thinking about it, that maybe we all have it wrong adn the name of the tzemach tzedek's wife was also muska. could that be?

I always thought that mousia is a nick name for mushka. Wink
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, May 28 2005, 7:49 pm
I read today that the name Mushka comes from the word "Moshek" or "Moshk" which some opinions hold is the name of one of the 13 spices used in the ketores. nothing to do with the Russian language. ("El Neshei Ubnos Yisrael)
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Rivka




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, May 29 2005, 2:21 am
So maybe her hebrew name was Mushka but her Russian name was Mussia. Like people have Hebrew name and an English name.
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Frumom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 29 2005, 1:10 pm
The Lubavitcher Rebbe was still alive when people were naming their daughters Chaya Mushka. So, if it was wrong, the Rebbe would've said something.
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mom05




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 29 2005, 7:33 pm
in sefer hasichos 5752 page 351 - 352 the Rebbe, discussing the name of the Rebbetzin, uses the name Chaya MUSHKA and the Rebbe explains there that the name Mushka means a pleasant smelling spice which you make borei minei psamim on and sccoring to many opinions this spice was one of the 11 spices used for the ketores
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 30 2005, 5:58 am
thanx mom05 for verifying. thats what I thought too.
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TzenaRena




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 30 2005, 8:06 am
Chasidiste wrote:
I agree that the name is really chaya mushka, but I am now thinking about it, that maybe we all have it wrong adn the name of the tzemach tzedek's wife was also muska. could that be?



For those suggesting that the Litvisher pronounciation of Muska got transformed into Mushka, it is a fact that the Rebbe did not say a shin like a samech.I don't think the other Rebbeim did either Listen to every tape of every sicha.
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Motek




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 30 2005, 8:09 am
SaraYehudis wrote:
For those suggesting that the Litvisher pronounciation of Muska got transformed into Mushka, it is a fact that the Rebbe did not say a shin like a samech.


and it would make it "Muska" anyway, and the question is "Mushka" or "Moussia" not "Muska" (at least among Lubavitchers)
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roza




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 30 2005, 9:39 am
my friend who lived in the building on the corner of Empire and Albany had a neighbor- black woman who used to work at the L. Rebbe's house. and she claims that the Rebbe called his wife Moussia.
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