Jewish Humor by Joseph Telushkin: Oy! You're Gonna Laugh!
Written: Mar 29 '02 (Updated Feb 11 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: insightful. funny. intelligent. thought provoking.
Cons: none.
The Bottom Line: Read this! You will not regret it.
|
|
|
| naphtalia's Full Review: Joseph Telushkin - Jewish Humor: What the Best Jew... |
Walk into my parents' bedroom and you will find two bookshelves crammed with books relating to various topics - much of it Judaica - and several knick-knacks. Then go back to what used to be my bedroom and find two bookcases that run ceiling to floor crammed full with books relating to all things Jewish. No knick-knacks here. There's no space for them. There are Judaica books in my parents' room because they've run out of room in my bedroom. Recently they commented that they must either donate some books to somewhere or get another bookcase. As there is a box now starting to fill in the garage and there's been no sign that Dad is going to sort through to figure out what to get rid of. That's good, because many of my favorite books line these bookcases. My absolute favorite, however, is by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.
Rabbi Telushkin has a reverence for the past and an eye on the future. He is a noted scholar and the author of several works including Jewish Wisdom, Biblical Literacy, and The Book of Jewish Values. In Jewish Humor, he has gathered up many of the best Jewish jokes. A lot of these I have heard before. Many were new to me when I read the book for the first time. It's not the jokes alone, however, that make this book so wonderful. What really makes this thin volume special are the commentaries that go with the jokes.
Telushkin proves himself a real Rabbi, and uses the opportunity to make us laugh and to teach us something all at the same time.
Of course, since his goal is only partly to be funny, some jokes are better than others. These jokes become his way of demystifying why we Jews do certain things; how we've learned to look at ourselves in particular ways; and how others have learned to see us. Telushkin explores how Jews think about money, sex and business and how others see Jews.
Of course, analyzying humor (like having to analyze poetry in university literature classes) can cause one to lose the pleasure of the joke. However, Telushkin's writing is bright and witty and the jokes, for me at least, didn't lose much. The book did, however, make me take a fresh look at Jewish humor.
Telushkin doesn't just employ Jewish theology to his arguements, however. His questions are diverse. How did the shtetls of Eastern Europe give birth to the Catskills and the comics there? Why have so many of the most successful comedians been Jewish? His solutions are as diverse as the wisemen of Chelm and the psychoanalysis of Freud. This book is at once scholarly and entertaining. Although I know the jokes by this point, I find myself rereading the book as opportunity presents itself. I recommend it highly to Jew and non-Jew alike. You'll laugh and you'll think. You might even learn something.
**********
If you're interested in more reviews of books with Jewish content, follow one of the links below:
The First Jewish Catalog: A Do-It-Yourself Kit
Pentateuch and Haftorah
Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentaries
The Atlas of the Holocaust
The Chosen
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Lost In Translation: A Life in a New Language
Mrs. Katz and Tush
Ascending Jacob’s Ladder: The Jewish View of Angels, Demons and Evil Spirits
Every Person’s Guide to Death and Dying in the Jewish Tradition
The Holocaust Industry
Samson’s Lion: A Novel for the Millennium
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
naphtalia
|
 - Top 100 |
|
Location: Somewhere in Southern California for Now
Reviews written: 1538
Trusted by: 450 members
About Me:
Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the_circus has left town.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.