Jewish humour is a style of humour that involves anecdotal humour rather than topical humour . In-jokes are also frequent, as is situational humour.
The actions of the legendary Hasidim are examples of anecdotal humour, especially the Baal Shem Tov, Zev Wolf and Levi Yitzchak .
Self-deprecating humour is also used.
The Hasidim
The lives of the early hasidim, while not funny in and of themselves, are rich in humourous incidents. The dealings between rabbis, tzaddikim, and peasants form a rich tapestry of lore.
Baal Shem Tov
Most tales about the Besht are miracle tales . For example: At the festival of Simhat Torah, the day of rejoicing in the law, the Besht's disciples made merry in his house. They danced and drank and had more and more wine brought up from the cellar. After some hours, the wife of the Baal Shem went to his room and said, "If they don't stop drinking, we soon won't have any wine left for the rites of the sabbath, for Kiddush and Havdalah." He said "You are right. So go and tell them to stop." When she opened the door to the big room, this is what she saw: the disciples were dancing around in a circle, and around the circle twined a blazing ring of blue fire. Then she herself took a jug in her right hand and a jug in her left and went down to the cellar. Soon after she returned, with both vessels full to the brim.
Like most tales about him, the ending is left for the reader to reflect on.
Rabbis
The lighter side of the Torah.
Q: Is one permitted to ride in an airplane on the Sabbath?
A: Yes, as long as your seat belt remains fastened. Then it is considered as if you are wearing the plane.
The Wise Men of Chelm
It is said that after God made the world, he filled it with people.
He sent off an angel with two sacks, one full of wisdom and one full of foolishness. The second sack was of course much heavier. So after a time it started to drag. Soon it got caught on a mountaintop and so all the foolishness spilled out and fell into Chelm.
The Chelmites are an odd lot. They often find impratical solutions to silly problems. Case in point:
- In Chelm, the Shammes used to go around waking everyone up for minyan in the morning. Every time it snowed, the people would complain that although the snow was beautiful, they could not see it in its pristine state because by the time they got up in the morning, the Shammes had already trekked through the snow to wake the men up for minyan. The townspeople decided that they had to find a way to let the Shammes wake everyone up for minyan without having him make tracks in the snow.
- The people of Chelm hit on a solution. They got four men to volunteer to carry the Shammes around standing on a table every time there was fresh snow in the morning. That way, the Shammes could make his wake up calls, but he would not leave tracks in the snow.....
Hershele Ostropoler
Also known as Hershel of Ostropol, this legendary funny man was a real person. Thought to have come from the Ukraine, he lived in the small village of Ostropol, working as shochet , a ritual slaughterer. According to legend he lost his job because of his constant joking, which offended the leaders of the village.
In his subsequent wanderings throughout Ukraine, he became a familiar figure at restaurants and inns.
Eventually he settled down at the court of Rabbi Barukh of Mezbizh , grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. The rabbi was plagued by frequent depressions, and he served as a sort of court jester, mocking the rabbi and his cronies, to the delight of the common folk.
After his death he was remembered in a series of pamphlets recording his tales and witty remarks.
He was the subject of several epic poems, a novel, a comedy performed in 1930 by the Vilna Troupe, and a US TV programme in the 1950s.
Two illustrated children's books, The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol, and Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, have been published. Both books are by Eric Kimmel , and were illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.
In 2002, a play entitled Hershele the Storyteller was performed in New York City.[1]
Meetings
Meetings between Jews and non-Jews
Two old friends meet at a wedding.
"Maurice, how are you?"
"Terrible, Isaac, terrible."
"Why, what's the matter?"
"You know my son, David?"
"Yes, of course, is he ok?"
"He's living in Miami with a man called Miguel."
"Oi!"
"I know, I know - why couldn't he find a nice Jewish boy?"
Anti-Semitism
While Anti-Semitic jokes have been around for a while, they are mostly made against Jews, not by them. These jokes are not said to insult fellow Jews, but to poke fun at the Anti-Semitism. Here is an example:
Rabbi Altmann and his secretary were sitting in a coffeehouse in Berlin in 1935. "Herr Altmann", said his secretary. "I notice you're reading Der Stürmer! I can't understand why. A Nazi libel sheet! Are you some kind of masochist, or, God forbid, a self-hating Jew?"
"On the contrary, Frau Epstein. When I used to read the Jewish papers, all I learned about were pogroms, riots in Palestine, and assimilation in America. But now that I read Der Stürmer, I see so much more: that the Jews control all the banks, that we dominate in the arts, and that we're on the verge of taking over the entire world. You know--it makes me feel a whole lot better!"
The Marx Bros.
The Marx Brothers (the four luftmenschen ) brought self-deprecating, Jewish humor into the mainstream of American discourse.
Food
You say kosher, I say kusher...
Jewish Humorists
Last updated: 05-07-2005 07:58:34
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
