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| - Kvitel (Yiddish: קוויטל, "little note," plural קוויטלך, kvitlach), also spelled kvittel, is a note containing a petitionary prayer, such as a general request for health, wealth or success, or a specific request for a wedding match, prosperity in business, etc.
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abstract
| - Kvitel (Yiddish: קוויטל, "little note," plural קוויטלך, kvitlach), also spelled kvittel, is a note containing a petitionary prayer, such as a general request for health, wealth or success, or a specific request for a wedding match, prosperity in business, etc. The term originated in the Hasidic courts of Europe, where a Hasid would bring a kvitel to his Rebbe, inscribed with his name and, occasionally, his request, in order to receive the Rebbe's blessing. The Hasid would include with his kvitel a pidyon (redemption) — a sum of money which the Rebbe would use either for the upkeep of his own court or to distribute as charity to the poor. Kvitlach are often placed on the grave of a Rebbe or tzadik, with the hope that the soul of the deceased will pray for the petitioner in the upper worlds. It is also a centuries-old tradition for Jews and non-Jews alike to place kvitlach between the stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem as personal petitions to God. In its plain sense, the word kvitel refers to any kind of note. In this respect, it is used in a greeting between Jews on Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day of the holiday of Sukkot. The Zohar says that while the judgment for the new year is closed on Yom Kippur, it is not "sealed" until the end of Sukkot, during which time one can still repent. Consequently, the blessing which Jews give each other on Hoshana Rabbah — פתקא טבא (piska tava), which in Yiddish translates as "A guten kvitel", or "A good note" — is a wish that the verdict will be positive.
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