"Love from a Second Rhyme": The Heartwarming New Book by Attorney Benny Don-Yechia

The whole Torah of effective communication

Between a wife and husband: not one toxic word!

If there is anyone for whom the phrase "never a dull moment" is perfectly suited, it is Adv. Benny Don-Yechia—a polymath whose one hand is immersed in the legal world while the other holds the world of media and culture.

Adv. Don-Yechia is one of the leading lawyers in family and inheritance law, having practiced in these fields for over 45 years. He writes for the Hebrew press and is frequently interviewed in various media outlets. He is the author of books on non-fiction, poetry, humor, and rhymes. He creates and performs in his own shows, focusing primarily on couples and relationships from an original perspective filled with humor, particularly Jewish humor. He is a culture lover, a fan of films and plays, and something of a celebrity. Having known him personally for many years, I can testify that he is a true "man of friends" (in the best sense). But the main reason for this article is the release of his new book—his 17th (!) to date—"Love from a Second Rhyme.".

The book "Love from a Second Rhyme" - a selection of rhymed sayings on love and marriage, domestic peace and divorce, family and children—includes 33 practical sections containing sayings, ideas, and insights, and importantly—tips for a better relationship. This is a book I can easily describe as heartwarming, cheerful, and enjoyable. To me, publishing a new book is like the birth of a child. So, for me, an interview is the solution.

Here is an interview with Adv. Benny Don-Yechia upon the release of his new book, "Love from a Second Rhyme":

About a year ago, you published your book "Love from a First Rhyme." Why another book of rhymes?

In modern poetry, the rhyme has taken an early retirement. I am trying to bring it back to the workforce. I view this with sadness, because the soul of poetry is the musical rhymes that make reading pleasant. My books pay respect to the rhyme. I worked hard, together with the book's editor, the poet Idit Gilur, to polish perfect rhymes. A verse in the book of Deuteronomy says: "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." Abraham Ibn Ezra, who was a supreme rhymester and could not stand mediocre rhymes, wrote a thousand years ago: "You shall not rhyme with an ox and a donkey together," and he demonstrated what a golden rhyme is: "Send the ox to the plain (mishor) and the donkey to the mountain of myrrh (mor)."

On the book cover, you described its purpose: for captivating posts and seasoning meetings, for insightful text messages and gift notes, for love letters and brainstorming. Why do people love rhymes?

Because rhymes color the words. They are melodic and they soften the messages inherent in them: when a direct truth is told, it hurts. When it is told in rhyme, it smiles. Rhyme helps the memory keep what the heart wants to remember. An hour-long speech evaporates. A rhymed sentence gets magnetized to the refrigerator for twenty years.

Your rhymes are not only full of insight and humor but also very short. Did you intentionally invest in brevity?

Certainly. The rhymes are short because everyone's patience is getting shorter and shorter in an era where various channels bombard us with tsunami-like quantities of words. People don't have time and are impatient, so there is a growing need to say something meaningful in a few precise words, preferably in a rhyme that begs to be quoted or sent via WhatsApp. A good short rhyme gets the maximum out of the minimum. It’s like a cup of espresso: small, concentrated, and awakening.

Would you like to give a few samples?

Let go—time will heal / Revenge does not rehabilitate / Accusations cause devastation / There is a cure in helping / Without women—whom would we blame?

Why are you so drawn to humor? Your books are infused with this spice, and you also perform humorous shows about relationships and Jewish humor.

When people laugh, they usually don't kill each other. In Zeev Jabotinsky's book, "Samson," Samson’s testament to the people of Israel appears: "Gather iron, crown a king, and learn to laugh." To me, a cheerful worldview means optimism, seeing the good, and the hope that everything will work out. In marriage, humor is a fire extinguisher in the living room.

Many rhymes in your books deal with the spice of life: love. There is no doubt that love moves people; is that also what moves you to write so much about it?

Of course. "The shared envelope for a match made in heaven—and the spirit of God hovers over the two." Meir Shalev wrote in 'Four Meals': "If loving doesn't cost money, why is everyone so stingy with love?" This question occupies me, and I have no answer. Similarly, to this day it is not clear to me how intense hatred takes the place of a great love. In my latest book, I wrote about this: A mystery: how and why does a soulmate (nefesh te'oma) vacate its place for a soul of the abyss (nefesh tehomah)?

Quite a few rhymes in your books deal with the value of truth. I assume this stems from the fact that in divorce battles, the truth isn't exactly a star player?

Undoubtedly, that is what draws me to write about truth. But I will correct you: truth is not the 'product of the month' only during divorce. Marriage is, to a large extent, a constant masquerade ball. I have noticed that people often do not want to remove the mask from their partner, nor from themselves. We are all afraid of what we might discover. One of the rhymes in the book on this subject is: There are three sides to the coin when a couple confronts: his side, her side—and the truth. And another rhyme in the same spirit: This is the way for quarrels to be resolved: each side is right—but the other a little bit more.

What motivates you to create and write?

Perhaps because my father and grandfather were writers, and perhaps out of boredom. I have been in the same profession for decades. I have handled vast numbers of couples who were in the most difficult period of their lives. I fought, and I still do, in inheritance and family cases in civil and rabbinical courts. I apparently felt the need to do something else, something different and refreshing. That's how I started writing, and that's why I take to the stage with my performances.

Knowing you, are you already working on "Love from a Third Rhyme"?

Bingo, Shosh. Want a taste? People, as I said, tend to be long-winded in speech and writing, sometimes to impress. The result: they put people to sleep. One of the rhymes in the next book will be: In a duel for two—take a tip you'll appreciate: don't prolong (ta'arich) after the date (ta'arich).

What else are you working on these days?

My 18th book is about to be released: "50 Selected Witty Sayings." I collected them from many sources. Working on the book brought me pleasure but also distress—what to choose from the ocean of sayings. A short saying, an aphorism, is defined as a concise, memorable, and pointed sentence that formulates a principle or a truth. Around us is constant noise: flickering screens, popping messages, jumping alerts, flooding videos. In such an era, the witty saying distills wisdom into one sentence—wisdom not found in a page full of text. It is a small flashlight illuminating corners of truth from a surprising angle.

Can you give me a 'punchline rhyme' suitable for the difficult days we are in?

It seems to me that what we need, and what has existed throughout the history of the Jewish people, is hope and optimism. And here is the rhyme: When cracks appear and the connection darkens / We soar with Leonard Cohen who sings: "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."

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Recommendation: The book "Love from a Second Rhyme" is recommended as a gift for birthdays, events, and holidays, or for no reason at all for those you love.

"Love from a Second Rhyme" - A selection of sayings and insights in rhyme
Published by Bitan (formerly Zmora-Bitan)
Accompanied by a selection of stunning photos
80 pages, Hardcover, 74 NIS
Available at Bitan Publishing (052-6873055) and in bookstores and chains.

(Photo: Shosh Lahav)