Word Prompt – VERKLEMPT – Jonathan Shenkman

Yiddish has a remarkable ability to capture a feeling with absolute precision. In my everyday life, I find myself reaching for these words because they express what English often cannot. I tell clients not to “patschke” with their portfolios when they are tempted to tinker unnecessarily. I remind people to use a bit of “sechel” when considering advice from friends at the kiddush club. I warn folks to stay far away from investments that are pure “dreck.” These words communicate entire ideas in a single breath.

Verklempt is one of those words that conveys an emotion perfectly. It describes being so overcome with feeling that you become choked up and unable to speak. I felt truly verklempt when a particular stock in a client’s portfolio soared from $66 to $900 over the past year, allowing the family to help their children with a down payment. Watching that kind of growth, especially when it directly benefits a family you care about, can leave you speechless.

I felt the same way at my daughters’ siddur and Chumash plays as they took their first steps into a lifetime of davening and learning Torah. Seeing your children embrace their heritage with joy and pride can move any parent to tears.

However, nothing over the past year made me more verklmept than Game 4 of the NBA Finals. I watched as OG Anunoby scored the game-winning tip-in putback after a Jalen Brunson miss, with just 1.2 seconds remaining, capping a record 29-point comeback.

As a New Yorker and lifelong Knicks fan, there is really only one word for that moment: “Verklempt.”