JUDAISM AND HUMOR

Featuring
Wally The Wonder Weasel

ChavrutaJest 2011
Presented by
Tzevet Beit Midrash
Is There Humor In Judaism?


, . ,
.
Rabbah used to say something humorous to his scholars before he commenced [his
discourse], in order to amuse them; after that he sat in awe and commenced the lecture.
1. What does this say about the presence of humor in religious life?
2. For what purpose is humor being used here?
3. Did the cover of this source sheet catch your attention? Why?
4. If you are a moreh/morah, how many kids remember everything youve said in shiur?
How many of them remember all of Sams puns? Be honest. We wont judge you.

What Kind Of Joke Might Rabba Have Said?

(You will have to look at the Hebrew for this one)

, : ?
. , ; : !
: - , ,
?
(This gemara is talking about the requirements to check a house for Chametz before
Pesach)
But do we say, we dont suspect that a weasel may have dragged [leaven], etc.? Surely
the second clause states: What he leaves over he must put away in a hidden place, so that
it should not require a search after it? Said Abaye. There is no difficulty: the one [refers
to a search] on the fourteenth; the other, on the thirteenth. [If one searches] on the
thirteenth, when bread is [yet] to be found in all houses, it [a weasel] does not hide
[leaven]; on the fourteenth, when bread is not to be found in all houses, it does hide [it].
Said Rava: Is this a weasel a prophetess?

, , , , , , ?
Who are the seven prophetesses? Sarah, Miryam, Devorah, Chanah, Avigayil, Chuldah,
and Esther


:
So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto
Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper
of the wardrobe--now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter--and they spoke with
her.
1. What specific problem is Rava raising on Abaye?
2. How could he have phrased his question differently? What word appears unusual here?
3. What is Rava making reference to?
4. For what purpose did Rava make this reference?
5. Why do you think he might have done this?
6. What kind of person would you have to be to find this funny?

PURPOSES OF HUMOR IN JUDAISM

1. Being Happy

,
: ? : . . :
, . ,
Rabbi Broka The Seer would be found in the marketplace at Bei Lefet, and Eliyahu was
found near him..He (Eliyahu) said to him (Rabbi Broka) these too are members of The
World To Come. He walked over to them, and said to them: What do you do? They said
to him, we are clowns, and we cheer up sad people. Additionally, when we see two
people that are quarreling, we get involved and make peace.
1. What do these people do that they merit Olam Habah?
2. What does this show about the purposes of how humor can be useful to a religious
person?

2. Making a point


:
Rabbi Dosa ben Hyrcanus said: Sleeping away the morning, drinking at noonday,
childish playing and sitting in the meetinghouses of the unlearned remove a man from
this world.

Tiferes Yisroel Al Ha Mishna, Rav Yisrael Lipschutz (1782-1860)

Childish Playing: This is a parable for laughter and humor, that also this, a little bit is
fine, to gladden the soul, but only with people of great stature, because in their joking
words, there is great wisdom.But regular childish play, which is laughter and humor
without a trace of wisdom or knowledge, the soul is not gladdened by, and will only mix
up the intellect.
1. When does the Tiferes Yisroel say humor is a good thing? When is it bad?
2. What does he add to our understanding of the purposes of humor?

. . , - " . -
- . -
When Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai died, the splendor of wisdom ceased. When Rabban
Gamli'el the Elder died, the honor of Torah ceased, as did purity and abstinence. When
Rabbi Yishma'el ben Pavi died, the splendor of the priesthood ceased. When Rabbi
[Yehuda Ha-nasi] died, humility and fear of sin ceased.

, : . -
Rav Yosef said to the tanna (the person who recites Mishnaic sources): "Do not
include [the line about] humility, because there is [still] me."
Why is this funny? What does laughing about this show about what our conception of
humility is?

, . ,

(There was an argument as to who should be the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbah or Rav Yosef)
Rabbah became Rosh Yeshiva for 22 years, and Rav Yosef became Rosh Yeshiva after
him. But for all the years that Rabbah was Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yosef did not even order a
barber to his house (and act in a way that would imply he deserved to be Rosh Yeshiva)
What do we see about Rav Yosef from this story?
Heamek Daber Shemos, 12:3, Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin of Volozhin (1816-1893)
And the word humility means that he
doesnt care so much about his honor. It
does not mean he doesnt think much of
himself, that he doesnt recognize that he
doesnt deserve this pain and disrespect,
rather, the word humble means he acts
without much concern about his honor.
And this is similar to Rav Yosef at the
end of Maseches Sota, in light of what
we see at the end of Maseches Horiyos,
that all the years that Rabbah was Rosh
Yeshiva, Rav Yosef did not
even order a barber to his house, as Rashi explains, he didnt want to act like he was a
powerful person that the barber should come to his house. Even though Rav Yosef knew
how great he was, nevertheless he wasnt so concerned about his honor. And that is
humility.
1. According to this Netziv, what point may Rav Yosef been trying to prove with his
joke?
2. Why might he have chosen a humorous way to make this point?

3. Humorous Situations To Illustrate Concepts

, , , : '
: . : . , ,
: ..
IT IS POSSIBLE [FOR ONE] TO PLOUGH BUT ONE FURROW AND BECOME
LIABLE [THEREBY] FOR EIGHT PROHIBITED ACTS: IF HE PLOUGHS WITH AN
OX AND DONKEY [YOKED TOGETHER] AND THESE WERE [ANIMALS] OF
THE SANCTUARY; [THE PLOUGH BEING DRAWN OVER] DIVERSE MIXEDSEED [SOWN] IN A VINEYARD, DURING THE SABBATICAL YEAR, ON A
FESTIVAL-DAY, [THE PLOUGHER BEING] A PRIEST AND A NAZIRITE AND
THE PLOT BEING SITUATE ON A DEFILED AREA.

HANANIA B. HAKINAI SUGGESTS ALSO THAT HE MAY HAVE BEEN

WEARING THEN LINSEY-WOOLSEY SAID THEY TO HIM: THIS [LAST] IS
NOT OF THE SAME CATEGORY. SAID HE TO THEM: NOR IS THE NAZIRITE IN
THE SAME CATEGORY.

+ "+ : , :
+ "+ : , : !
: ' )( ][ ' ! '
: ! + "+ : ,
+ "+ , )( ][ + "+ : ,
+ "+ : , :!
+' + : , : '!
: ! "
: ". ,!
, ,! .
To this R. Oshaia demurred: Why not include [in the list] also one who sows in a rough
valley, the requisite forewarning being contained in the words, Which shall neither be
ploughed nor sown? R. Hanania demurred: Why not include also if he erased [with
plough] the Divine Name [inscribed on something] whilst proceeding with it, the
requisite forewarning being found in the words, And ye shall destroy their name out of
that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God? R. Abbahu
demurred: Why not include also one who cuts away a [leprous] bright-spot the requisite
forewarning being contained in the words, Take heed in the plague of leprosy that thou
observe diligently, and do according to all that the priest the Levites shall teach you?
Abaye demurred:Why not include also one who loosened the breastplate [of the High
priest] from the ephod, and also one who removed the staves from [their rings] on the ark,
the requisite forewarnings being,they shall not be taken from it, And that the breastplate
be not loosed? R. Ashi demurred: Why not include also one who ploughed with sticks
taken from an asherah tree, the forewarning being,And there shall cleave nought of the
accursed thing to thy hand? Rabina demurred: Why not include also one who cuts down
good [fruit] trees, whilst proceeding17 [with the plough], theforewarning being, for thou
mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down? Said R. Ze'ira to
R. Mani: Why not include also the case of one who solemnly swore, I shall not plough
on the Festival-day? In that case the oath has no application, because he stands
already adjured by the law of Sinai. Then, said he [R. Ze'ira] to him: Supposing he had
sworn: I shall not plough [at all], be it week-day or Festival-day,in which case, as the
oath is valid for a week-day, it attaches [incidentally] also to the Festival-day?
1. To understand why this is funny, take a piece of paper and try to draw a picture
illustrating the case in this Gemara. Submit it to the specially designated box, and the
most impressive submission will win something. Look at your drawing before you give it
in. How ridiculous is it?
2. Why might the Rabbis made up such a ridiculous scenario?


, , : ! , ? ,
, , ? , , ? ,
?
What is the law if a weasel inserts its head into a pregnant animals womb, takes the fetus
into its mouth and pulls it out of the womb and then the weasel reinserts its head into the
womb of another animal and spits out the fetus, who then emerges naturally [and is now
the first-born]? What is the law if the wombs of two animals become attached and the
fetus leaves one womb and enters the other womb, and then emerges from the latter
womb [is it a first-born or not]? (Babylonian Talmud, Chullin 70a)
1. Hey, look! Its that darn weasel again!
2. Clearly this particular scenario is ridiculous. But why might discussing this case be
valuable? Think of contemporary issues. Is there a similar case to this? Is that case so farfetched?

But were these meant to be funny?

? " : '
" : ? . -
' : !
Rabbi Yirmiyah asked Rabbi Zera: According to Rabbi Meir, who says that if a woman
aborts a fetus that looks like an animal it is considered a valid abortion [and the woman
becomes ritually unclean just as if she had aborted a human], what is the law if the father
receives for the animal born from a woman a token of betrothal. Is the person
considered married to the animal? ...To such an extent did Rabbi Yirmiyah try to
make Rabbi Zera laugh, but he would not laugh.
1. Do you side with Rabbi Yermiyah or Rabbi Zera as to whether this is funny or not?
Why or why not?

And then Rabbi Yirmiyah Went Too Far

; - , - .'
- , - , - ,
? , ' : '

A baby pigeon that is found within fifty cubits of a coop belongs to the coops owner [the
assumption is that it came from the coop]. If it is found outside the fifty cubits, then it
belongs to the finder [the assumption being that it came from the wild]. Rabbi Yirmiyah

asked: If one foot of the pigeon is within the fifty cubits and one foot is outside, to whom
does it belong?...It was for this that they kicked Rabbi Yirmiyah out of the Beis Medrash
1. Are there such things as stupid questions? Where does the Gemara seem to be siding
?on the issue
?2. Was #1 a stupid question? Why or why not
?3. Was #2 a stupid question
You get the point.

THE DARK SIDE OF HUMOR

(Insert picture of that Weasel on the front cover in a
)Darth Vader helmet here


Happy is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the mockers.

:
All mockery is prohibited
?1. What is mockery
?2. What differentiates it from other types of humor
?3. Why might it be bad

, , , ,
. - , ,
, ,
) ( : - . )
( : . - - -
,

. ,
, , ,
. ,

 ,
, -

,
, .

The second deterrent, however, laughter and levity, is very severe. He who is immersed in it is as one who
is immersed in a great ocean, from which it is extremely difficult to escape. For laughter affects a person's
heart in such a manner that sense and reason no longer prevail in him, so that he becomes like a drunkard or
a simpleton, whom, because they cannot accept direction, it is impossible to advise or direct. As was said
by King Solomon, may Peace be upon him(Ecclesiastes 2:2), "About laughter I have said, `It is silly,' and
about happiness, `What does it do?"' And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 3.13), "Laughter
and lightheadedness motivate a man towards illicit relations." For even though every reasoning individual
recognizes the gravity of this kind of sin and his heart is afraid to approach it because of the vividness of
the impression that has stamped itself into his mind, of the truly terrible nature of the offense and the
severity of its punishment, still laughter and lightheadedness draw him on little by little and lead him closer
and closer to the stage where fear leaves him little by little, degree by degree, until finally he reaches the
sin itself and commits it. Why is this so? Just as the essence of Watchfulness involves applying one's heart
to things, so the essence of laughter is the turning away of one's heart from just, attentive thinking, so that
thoughts of fearing God do not enter one's heart at all.
Consider the great severity and destructive power of levity. Like a shield smeared with oil, which wards off
arrows and causes them to fall to the ground, not permitting them to reach the bearer's body, is levity in the
face of reproof and rebuke. For with one bit of levity and with a little laughter a person can cast from
himself the great majority of the awakenings and impressions that a man's heart stimulates and effects
within itself upon his seeing or hearing things which arouse him to an accounting and an examination of his
deeds. The force of levity flings everything to the ground so that no impression whatsoever is made upon
Him. This is due not to the weakness of the forces playing upon him, nor to any lack of understanding on
his part, but to the power of levity, which obliterates all facets of moral evaluation and fear of God.

1. What does the Mesillas Yesharim say the problems are with humor?
2. What does humor do that makes the Mesillas Yesharim view it so negatively?
3. What bout the types of humor we talked about before? What would the Mesillas
Yesharim say about those? Whats the difference between what is being described here
and what was being described before?
3. The Mesillas Yesharim describes humor is a very powerful force. Can this force be
used for good?

For more on the negative uses of humor, see the other chabura we prepared, The Joker:
A Hashkafic Analysis.

THE GOOD SIDE OF THE DARK SIDE OF

HUMOR
(Insert picture of regular weasel here)

,
.except for mockery of idol worship, which is allowed
1. How does the gemara we quoted before, about how mockery is forbidden, continue?
2. Why might mocking Avoda Zara be okay?

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said: 'Cry aloud; for he is a
god; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or perhaps he is
sleeping, and must be awakened!.'
1. Who is Eliyahu mocking? How is he doing so?
2. Why might he be doing so? What does mocking Avoda Zara do?
Pachad Yitzchak Al Purim, Rav Yitzchak Hutner, (1906-1980) (translation by R Pinchas
Stolper)

It seems fair to assume that mocking evil in general is permitted. So why did the Sages single out
idolatry to demonstrate the permissibility of a certain category of mocking?....
What is civilizations greatest folly and lie? Without doubt the answer is the worship of idols and
false gods. There is nothing of greater importance than what we worship, and there is no greater
lie than the false god. The result is that the person who worships false gods has ascribed the
highest importance to that which deserves the greatest denigration. The worship of false gods is
nothing other than a perversion of importance and spiritual values. The idol worshiper raises the
most nonsensical lie to the level of the greatest importance. He has lost the ability to distinguish
between reality and illusion. The worship of idols derives from the human ability to raise an
illusion that merits derision to the level of signicance and importance.
This will explain why the Sages chose the ridicule of false gods as the best example of
permissible scofng. We are encouraged to scoff at evil. The evil we call the worship of false
gods - avodah zarah is actually the worship of forces or things that are removed from the
world of truth. In other words, they have no basis in reality; they are built on illusion. It is
therefore natural for the true servant of G-d to direct his power of scofng at the greatest lie, the
worship of false gods.

1. What does Rav Hutner take for granted?

2. Why is it okay for a religious person to mock evil?
3. Why, according to Rav Hutner, is it fitting that the paradigm of what a Jew should
mock is Avodah Zarah? Think about how he describes Avoda Zara here, and compare it
to how the Mesillas Yesharim describes what humor does

A different approach is formulated by Professor John E. Benson: "Our basic

human problem is that we have a strange, uncontrollable desire to worship
idols.We feel an inner need to trust something utterly, and we prefer

something close at hand like wealth, another person or our nation. So we

blind ourselves to the transient nature of all that exists in this world...We are
caught in a circle of deceit. Now, it is this circle of self-deception that humor
attacks...People who put on airs, who think they are bigger than they really
are, deserve the shrieks of laughter that naturally arise from earth and
heaven".
-Rav Uri Cohen, Balak -- God's Laughter: Making Fun of Balaam,
http://www.nishmat.net/article.php?id=155&heading=0
1. How does Professor Benson define idolatry?
2. Why would it be permitted to mock the idols Benson speaks of, according to Rav
Hutner?

GODS SENSE OF HUMOR

(( :
(( :
(( :
(( :
1 Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain?
2 The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD, and against His anointed:
3 'Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.'
4 He that sitteth in heaven laugheth, the Lord hath them in derision.

(( :
(( :
(( :
(( :
((
9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait for the LORD, they shall inherit the
land.
10 And yet a little while, and the wicked is no more; yea, thou shalt look well at his
place, and he is not.
11 But the humble shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in the abundance of
peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the righteous, and gnasheth at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord doth laugh at him; for He seeth that his day is coming.

1. Who is God laughing at?

2. What might cause God to laugh? Why would things be funny to God?
3. What does this show us about God?

HUMOR AS PART OF THE JEWISH

WORLDVIEW

. ,
: . " , ,
+' + : , ? : ?
+' + : , : ?
? ,
, !
+' + :[ ,' ]+' + : ,
- ,
- ,
, ! , : ..
Again it happened that Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi
Joshua and Rabbi Akiva went up to Jerusalem. When they reached Mt. Scopus, they tore
their garments. When they reached the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the
place of the Holy of Holies. The others started weeping; Rabbi Akiva laughed.
Said they to him: "Why are you laughing?"
Said he to them: "Why are you weeping?"
Said they to him: "A place [so holy] that it is said of it, 'the stranger that approaches it
shall die,' and now foxes traverse it, and we shouldn't weep?"
Said he to them: "That is why I laugh. For it is written, 'I shall have bear witness for Me
faithful witnesses--Uriah the Priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.'2 Now what is
the connection between Uriah and Zechariah? Uriah was [in the time of] the First
Temple, and Zechariah was [in the time of] the Second Temple! But
the Torah makes Zachariah's prophecy dependent upon Uriah's prophecy. With Uriah, it
is written: 'Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field; [Jerusalem shall
become heaps, and the Temple Mount like the high places of a forest.]'3 With Zachariah
it is written, 'Old men and women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem.'4
"As long as Uriah's prophecy had not been fulfilled, I feared that Zechariah's prophecy
may not be fulfilled either. But now that Uriah's prophecy has been fulfilled, it is certain
that Zechariah's prophecy will be fulfilled."

With these words they replied to him: "Akiva, you have consoled us! Akiva, you have
consoled us!"

. ,
: . " , ,
+' + : , ? : ?
+' + : , : ?
? ,
, !
+' + :[ ,' ]+' + : ,
- ,
- ,
, ! , : ..
Again it happened that Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi
Joshua and Rabbi Akiva went up to Jerusalem. When they reached Mt. Scopus, they tore
their garments. When they reached the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the
place of the Holy of Holies. The others started weeping; Rabbi Akiva laughed.
Said they to him: "Why are you laughing?"
Said he to them: "Why are you weeping?"
Said they to him: "A place [so holy] that it is said of it, 'the stranger that approaches it
shall die,' and now foxes traverse it, and we shouldn't weep?"
Said he to them: "That is why I laugh. For it is written, 'I shall have bear witness for Me
faithful witnesses--Uriah the Priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.'2 Now what is
the connection between Uriah and Zechariah? Uriah was [in the time of] the First
Temple, and Zechariah was [in the time of] the Second Temple! But
the Torah makes Zachariah's prophecy dependent upon Uriah's prophecy. With Uriah, it
is written: 'Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field; [Jerusalem shall
become heaps, and the Temple Mount like the high places of a forest.]'3 With Zachariah
it is written, 'Old men and women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem.'4
"As long as Uriah's prophecy had not been fulfilled, I feared that Zechariah's prophecy
may not be fulfilled either. But now that Uriah's prophecy has been fulfilled, it is certain
that Zechariah's prophecy will be fulfilled."
With these words they replied to him: "Akiva, you have consoled us! Akiva, you have
consoled us!"

1. Why did R Akiva laugh? How was he able to, even in the most depressing of
circumstances?
2. What does having a sense of humor show about a person?
3. Why might a sense of humor be such a particularly Jewish trait?
One of the most incredible aspects of the Shoah was the ability of Jews themselves to use
humor as a survival tool in face of the most indescribable evil of all recorded history. The
laughter was bitter, but it gave the lie to the Nazis claim that they could destroy the
Jewish spirit. Jewish bodies, they could destroy; but not the Jewish soul. In Auschwitz
the various swamp like paths that served as thoroughfares all had names: Goering Strasse,
Goebbels Allee. Whenever Jewish prisoners reached the locale known as Hitlerplatz, they
would respond, Amen, punning on the fact that Hitler Place in German also means
Hitler, drop dead! in Yiddish. The inmates of the camps would also tell a story about
the S.S. officer who gave a woman one chance to save her child from death. I have a
glass eye, the Nazi told the distraught mother, One that is so perfectly matched with my
natural eye as to be virtually indistinguishable. If you can tell me which is the glass one, I
will spare your child. The woman looked at the officers face and immediately identified
the mans left eye as the false one. The S.S. officer was taken aback. You are right, but
how did you know? The womans answer: Your left eye is softer and more
compassionate.
-Rabbi Jonathan Lubliner, The Sancity Of Laughter
http://rabbilubliner.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/the-sanctity-of-laughter-adar-5766.pdf
It was Peter Berger, the American sociologist, who put it best when he spoke of the sense
of humor as one of the "signals of transcendence" that break through into the human
situation and remind us of something beyond. We are part of nature, but there is a
dimension of human consciousness that lies beyond nature. We are physical beings, but
there are aspects of the human spirit that cannot be reduced to physics - and the ability to
understand a joke is one of them. Could a computer have a sense of humor? Probably not.
The reason, I would guess, is that humor has to do with our ability to see things
differently, to escape from the cage of tragedy, to affirm the freedom of the mind. What
we can laugh at, we can rise above. Perhaps that is why Jews, along with other groups
who have suffered much and suffered long, have developed a sense of humor as their
defense against despair.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, A Good Sense of Humour is Simply Divine
The Times - July 2008
3 Reasons There Are So Many Jews In Comedy
- Gladstone for Cracked.com
But is that all Jewish comedy really is? A way of complaining? A subtler form of
throwing a punch? A cry for acceptance? For some, sure, but those guys never seem to
make it past a couple of Letterman appearances. There's more to it than that because the
truth is, we're not sore losers. We haven't even lost. Look it up. There's never been a race
between Judaism and Christianity to see who could amass the greatest numbers of souls.

Judaism has always been an invitation-only affair, a reward that's unsettlingly similar to a
punishment. Like when the schoolteacher picks the good kid to help clean the erasers
after class, Judaism is something of a burden. And that accounts for a need for humor as
much as anything else.
Jews go by many names: "Children of Israel," "Members of the Tribe," "Executive
Producer." But perhaps the most descriptive is "Chosen People." Chosen. Set apart by
God. That means we don't go looking for converts. Indeed, if a gentile comes to a rabbi
seeking conversion, the rabbi is to refuse the candidate three times before even discussing
the possibility of converting. Three times. Don't hate us for that. It's not like we're
bogarting the one true path to salvation. We don't have a heaven, and if we did, we
wouldn't believe that only Jews go there. It's not like Miami Beach.
The three refusals are to make sure the potential Jew is serious and tenacious. Because
there's work to be done. The world is incomplete, and God chose the Jews to complete it.
Not chosen to reach heaven before others, but chosen to help with the heavy lifting
during the final phases of construction. This concept is embodied in the Hebrew phrase
"tikkun olam," which roughly translates to "putting the world in order," and conveys an
obligation on Jews to pursue social justice. And even though countless Jews have never
heard this phrase, we all carry it in our hearts, somehow.
But how does a Jew -- even a religiously ignorant Jew -- achieve these ends? How does a
Jew complete the world? Charitable donation? Labor organization? New York Times oped? We don't know. Somewhere there is a nagging voice telling us that everything is not
all right. That action can't be left to someone else at some other time. It's hard to say if it's
the voice of God or the voice of history. Philip Roth would make a joke about it being the
voice of our mothers, but apparently he was raised by a cartoon. And still, we hear that
voice and, without knowing what to do with it, sometimes we make a joke. Can making a
joke mend the world? It couldn't hurt.
Probably everything you need to know about this kind of Jewish humor and the Jews as a
people can be summed up in an old joke popularized by Jack Benny and, more
recently, Eddie Murphy in Coming to America:
An old Jewish man sits down in a fancy restaurant and orders a bowl of soup. Within 30
seconds of being brought his order, the man calls the waiter over and asks that he taste

the soup. The waiter inquires as to the problem. The Jew doesn't answer, but again asks
the waiter to taste the soup. The waiter advises that he's not in the habit of tasting patrons'
food, but the Jew persists. The waiter asks if the soup's too cold, too hot or contains -heaven forbid -- a fly. Each time the Jew merely repeats his request for the waiter to taste
the soup. Ultimately, the waiter relents, if only to bring some closure to what has become
quite an episode. He looks all around the table, and then asks, "Where's the spoon?" To
which the Jew replies with a smile, "A-ha."
This is my favorite Jewish joke, even though I'm sure the only thing most take away from
it is that Jews are insufferable pains in the (rear). But that's only the obvious punch line.
This old man wanted to teach a lesson and not in a haughty, degrading manner, but
through humor. Without putting the waiter down, he said, "Understand what it's like to be
a hungry man with a bowl of soup and no spoon." Yes, he wanted a spoon, but he also
wanted to make the waiter remember. This old Jew wants to make sure that someone else
gets their spoon tomorrow.
Perhaps more important, though, is that by taking the time and energy to do things the
hard way, he confirms his faith in humanity. He rejects cynicism. Who would waste that
kind of energy unless they believed they were addressing someone who wanted to be
taught? That kind of humor, mixed with energy and faith, is a tiny part of tikkun olam.
And even though it's not in the joke (because it's not funny) I like to believe the old Jew
left the waiter a good tip. Of course, he did. The Jew likes the waiter. Don't you know
that?
This joke is only possible with a Jewish patron. Change the customer to a WASP and this
is what you get:
An old WASP sits down in a fancy restaurant and orders a bowl of soup. After receiving
his order, he notices that the waiter has failed to bring a spoon. Accordingly, he simmers,
quietly, for five minutes until he can catch the waiter's attention with a polite gesture.
Upon doing so, he requests a spoon while mentally calculating a small, but distinct,
reduction in tip. The sad part is that most of us would rather sit at the table next to the
quiet (if angry) WASP were we at the restaurant. But don't you think the old Jew knows

that, too? He lives in this world. He knows he has been set apart. But he does it anyway.
He makes a joke knowing that some will view him merely as the joke.