By Mord Maman
The Talmud tells over a story of Rabbi Beroka who was walking through the market place in his town and as Rabbi Beroka was a very holy man, he had the privilege of being accompanied by Elijah the prophet. Seeing everybody in the market place before him Rabbi Beroka turned to Elijah and asked if any of the people in the market place were destined for heaven. Elijah looked left and right , shook his head and said nobody present was destined for the world to come.
They continued further and Elijah saw two men who he pointed out to Rabbi Beroka and duly informed him they were destined for paradise.
Rabbi Beroka ran over to them to find out what it was that made them worthwhile of such reward.
The two men replied they were Badchanim, (joker/clown/comedian) and that they would go around cheering up those who were sad, and when they saw people who were arguing they would go and lighten the mood until they were friends again.
Hearing Robin Williams died last night, this was the first thing I thought of. Whether he was acting as Mrs Doubtfire or telling jokes from a stage, Robin brought laughter to so many people, people whose smiles are a little less bright today. I don’t decide who gets into heaven but if Robin Williams were in that marketplace that day, Elijah would have surely singled him out.
Jews and humour go hand in hand like cream cheese and smoked salmon. Your Rabbi knows the importance of a good joke and a fun conversation is the perfect accompaniment to Friday night dinner.
One of the misconceptions many Jews have about Judaism is that Religion takes the fun out of life. We believe in fun, but meaningful fun. We live our lives for pleasure, but we may have different definitions of fun and pleasure, but we are not dismissive of the notions.
Humour in and of itself isn’t a Jewish value per se. It is how we use humour. The two comedians above who are destined for heaven they sued it to bring joy into the world and into people lives. Unfortunately there are those who are blessed with comedic talent who use it to bring people down (Banter, anyone?) Humour has helped Jews cope with life for millennia, and as a people we have had loads to cope with.
Much has been written on the physical and mental health benefits of laughter, and sharing laughter helps us bond with one another.
And once in a while we simply need to take time out and take life less seriously. All work and no play after all…
Judaism is about having a meaningful life. We don’t dismiss humour, we use it in a meaningful way.
