Jewish humor: quotes. Funny Jewish anecdotes

Have you ever thought about what is real Jewish humor? What is its zest and where did it come from? This article details all the features and history of the development of the comic kind of anecdotes about the Jews.

A bit of history and a few facts

The very concept of humor is easy to define, it is a category of jokes, stories and anecdotes, in which several heroes are involved in a comic situation. However, Jewish humor is more than just anecdotes. The Russian word "Hochma" in translation from the Hebrew means "wisdom." This is not a mere coincidence, because the real humor of the Jews is filled with meaning and assumes good knowledge in Judaism. Many Jewish anecdotes make fun of stupid rabbis and in order to understand the joke, it is necessary to know a lot of biblical stories.

The main characters in the most popular jokes are the legendary Jewish jokers: Herschel, Motke Habad, Efraim Graideringer. The prototype of Herschel really existed, he lived in the 18th century and was known as a beggar and a caustic wit.

Today the concept of Jewish humor has changed a lot. The original meaning of humor almost lost its essence. Now this kind of humor is perceived as something very easy, understandable and almost always ridiculing the ignorance and naivety of ordinary Jews.

What is the peculiarity of Jewish jokes?

A distinctive feature of Jewish humor is self-irony and complete ridicule of all the weaknesses not only of the Jewish people, but of all mankind. Many Jewish anecdotes require the listener to have a certain erudition regarding the history of the Jewish people. And its history is full of tragedy (after all, Jews were often victims of world history), so in many jokes, in addition to the main fun and ridiculous load, there is a second meaning in which the representatives of this nationality find sharp and witty answers and decisions on Many life difficulties.

The most popular topics of Jewish jokes and anecdotes

There are several main topics for which many different anecdotes have been invented. Perhaps, one of the most popular can be called worldly jokes. They describe the small stories that occur in the ordinary life of an ordinary Jew. Such Jewish jokes spark with wit, are full of all kinds of dirty tricks and show the attitude of Jews towards their history. The Jew seems to us self-critical and often acts as an object of ridicule, which in itself makes anecdotes absurd.

There are other topics, but they are more specific and require knowledge in the field of biblical texts and many other features and traditions of the Jewish people. For example, Jews often ridicule the stupidity of uneducated rabbis, however, without crossing the boundaries of blasphemy and the Talmud. This is the subtle Jewish humor, it is full of wit, originality and keeps in itself the wisdom and traditions of the Jewish people.

Jewish humor: quotations, aphorisms and winged sayings

Let's understand. Many Jewish anecdotes were very popular during the Soviet times, some of them were transformed, and we still use quotations from anecdotes. Here are sayings, which everyone has heard at least once in his life.

• Do you think I'm silent? I'm just not saying anything!
• God keeps us from bad women, but from good ones one must take care of yourself!
• If life does not improve, then it worsens.
• "Do you have any Jews in your family?" - No, I am alone!

Types of Jewish Humor

Like any anecdote, a Jewish one has the peculiarity of changing and adapting to the rules of a particular country or place, as well as the people who live in it. Due to some historical factors, it happened that a large number of Jews lived in Odessa. And, of course, they were the founders of the so-called Odessa humor. The peculiarity of the Odessa jokes is that they ridicule the greed of the Jews. Almost every joke very wittily emphasizes the fact that all representatives of this nationality love money, that they are all cunning and greedy.

Here are some striking examples of Odessa's humor:

"Why do Jews have such big noses?" - Because the air is free!

"What does it mean, love at first sight?" It's like buying stocks without looking at the exchange rate!

The customs officer asks the Jew: "Where did they come from?", To which the Jew answers "Where did you come, what are you, only losses ...".

Cosmetics from the Dead Sea mud. Finally, the centuries-old dream of the Jews - to make money out of mud!

Odessa humor

Odessa Jewish humor very often eulogizes the ingenuity and special outlook of Odessa Jews. Thanks to the fact that Odessa has a special dialect (a very rich, colorful and colorful language), all the jokes seem even funnier, and quotations and many phrases have already become winged. Odessa citizens very carefully keep their culture and pass from generation to generation all the famous aphorisms and anecdotes. The phrases "Humor for Odessa!", "We have something to say" also appeared here.

Let's read the best Odessa jokes, in which Rabinovich, Solomon Markovich, Sarah Abramovna, Mojsha and others are often the main characters.

1. The visitor asks the Odessa citizen:
   - Do you know how to go to Privoz?
   - Ha! And he asks ... How to go to Privoz? With money!
2. Roza Moiseevna believes that you can not spoil a real Odessa woman with any husband!
3. - Oh, Sarah, today I slipped and fell on the stairs, broke my chin.
   - Do not worry, Monya, you still have two more!
4. "I'm sorry, but where did they send you to, so come here?"
5. "Sarah, Vee, I think this scoundrel abandoned me, and I was left alone with my husband."
6. "Monya, how's life?"
   - I think the flies would like it.
7. - Hi Itzik, how are you?
   - Yes, I'm going on vacation.
   - With Sarah or on vacation?
8. "Forgive me for calling so late, Solomon Avraamovich."
   - And you're not late, Sophia, but you in general - in vain!
9. - Monya, turn on the TV. And suddenly they say that it's good for us to live well, but we will not know ...
   
   

Modern Jewish Humor

At present, many Jews joke on topics that were previously banned. For example, another 50 years were not taken to joke in black. Black humor involves jokes about death, sickness and pain. Here is one of the most striking examples of this rigid kind of humor:

The capricious and whiny voice of the child: - I do not want to go around in circles all the time!

Father's sharp voice: - Quiet! If you do not shut up, I'll kill you with your second leg to the floor!

As you can see, ordinary humor implies the absence of suffering, and for black there is fear and horror. In general, in black humor lies a secret meaning, as well as sinister forms of jokes, generated by the question of the presence of evil in the world created by God.

Witty anecdotes about rabbinical wisdom

Many modern anecdotes are dedicated to the teachers of the Talmud, the rabbis. If earlier jokes were mostly about complex things that you can understand only if you know the Bible texts. Now there is a huge amount of heretical jokes that are easily accessible and generally understandable, but they do not carry a large semantic load and are at a low level of vulgarity. Let's look at examples of how these anecdotes reflect the world outlook of Jews on many religious topics.

1. "Rebbe, can I talk to the deceased?"
   "Of course, only they will not answer."
2. Rabbi Shamesu during the service:
   "There's someone snoring, Wake him up!"
   Shames: "Is it so fair? You put him to sleep, you'll wake him up!"
3. "The Rebbe!" - Asks Moysha. "Save my wife, she's dying!"
   The Rebbe goes into the room, then comes back and says:
   "She's saved!" I tore the sword from the angel of death.
   Happy and grateful Moysha comes home, but then comes back. "My wife is dead," he says. "And the beast is that angel of death!" The rabbi is indignant. "He strangled her with his bare hands!"

Anecdotes about famous Jews

A special highlight in Jewish humor is the epic anecdotes about the most famous Jews. The main characters of such anecdotes are famous personalities, academicians, composers, writers, pianists and even doctors. By the way, it should be noted that Jews are a very talented people, possessing an inexhaustible strength of mind and a great ability to study hard. Jews have always been a very educated, disciplined and prosperous nation, so jokes about famous Jews do not make them a mockery, but on the contrary, these jokes reveal the wit and resourcefulness of Jews.

1. One writer tells his colleague:
   "Since we met last time, the number of my fans has doubled!"
   - Congratulations! And I never thought that you would ever get married!
2. A certain lady, ordering a famous artist Max Lieberman his portrait, anxiously asks, but whether the picture looks like the original.
   "Do not worry, I'll write you more like you are!" "Lieberman reassured her.
3. The famous Viennese Bovian Bela Haas complains:
   - I have no wife, no children - and what does it mean, I have from life, except for the pleasures?