Chutzpah is a Hebrew term meaning arrogance, impertinence, or insolence. In Yiddish, it can be viewed positively or negatively, depending on the context. It takes courage to challenge authority figures, and it can be admirable if done well. In Chaim Potok’s book Davita’s Harp, the protagonist’s decision to recite Kaddish for her late father is initially seen as chutzpah but eventually earns her admiration.
Chutzpah is a Hebrew term with layers of meaning. The pronunciation of the word varies, although typically the C is silent and the word can be pronounced “hutspah” or “huspa” with a short u sound. The Hebrew word from which the modern spelling derives is huspa and in Hebrew it would be termed arrogance, impertinence, or insolence. Similar words in Hebrew include katsuf and katsufah, which translate as “impudent man” or “woman,” depending on the final sound.
In Yiddish, chutzpah is not always viewed negatively and in fact can be a positive quality. If it’s not exactly positive, people may feel ambivalent about the manifestations of this trait. On the one hand, they may consider it rude or sassy, but on the other hand, they may also admire the courage to be sassy under certain circumstances. Related terms in other languages include cojones from Spanish and hubris from Ancient Greek.
In other words, speech can be defined as courage, the ability to say or act in ways that can be perceived negatively and require a certain amount of courage. Challenging an elder or teacher might be considered an act of chutzpah, but if a person can prove her point, it might be an admirable thing to do, even if you generally respect that person. In a negative sense, this quality may feel more like a snub at convention, simply because a person can. A person in power might verbally attack people lower in socioeconomic strata, for example, by portraying a more negative form.
Generally, however, impudence tends to be directed towards people in positions of authority. It therefore takes guts and courage to challenge someone who has more authority in a community. A Jewish school student who verbally attacks a rabbi over his interpretation of the Torah is displaying extraordinary chutzpah. Whether or not the student would be in awe of such an assault really depends on the person receiving it. They may begrudgingly admire the person’s courage, or they may simply dismiss it as arrogant and disrespectful.
In Chaim Potok’s book Davita’s Harp, one of the novel’s key issues is the place of women in the Jewish religion. The novel’s young heroine decides to recite Kaddish for her late father, a ritual prayer recited at every Saturday meeting for a year. This is considered by others in her community to be chutzpah. Women in the Davita synagogue, and in the 1930s-1940s when the novel is set, did not normally recite this prayer.
As the year progresses, Davita’s determination to recite the Kaddish begins to be met with admiration instead of consternation. The women in the temple join her in prayer. This is typical of the American view of this quality: Davita’s act earns her the blame and then her praise. What at first is seen as disrespectful eventually earns her grudging respect for acting on the urge of her heart and defying her conventions to do so.
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