They say that in order to be truly wise, one must realize how much it is that they DON'T know. In that case I must be one of the smartest people around...

Every once in awhile when I delve into an Orthodox Jewish bloc or website I come across something, maybe a Yiddish word, maybe a reference to an ancient Rabbi or religious text that I wasn't familiar with. While I am always excited to "discover" something new, I also get depressed when I realize that there are five year olds who already know this stuff.

Today I learned that a shtender is the Yiddish/Jewish word for the wooden lectern that is used to stand at while davening (praying), or studying. I have seen these and used these all my life without knowing what my people have been calling them for hundreds of years. I am including a picture of a stand alone version and a unique desktop version, just in case you don't know what I'm talking about.