Rabbi Mari Chernow

Humor in the Holy?
by Rabbi Mari Chernow

The one who teaches his wisdom to others, it is the Torah of kindness
~Sukkah, 49

I have been truly blessed to learn from many brilliant and inspiring teachers. One such teacher was J. William Whedbee. Dr. Whedbee was the Nancy M. Lyon Professor of Biblical Literature and History at Pomona College and he taught from time to time at HUC. I was fortunate enough to know him through his wife, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, and as his student my final year of Rabbinical school. We shared not only a deep admiration for Dr. Eskenazi, but also a quirky enthusiasm for the nuances of Biblical grammar. Along with the rest of the college community and the world of Biblical scholars, I was crushed when Dr. Whedbee died in January of pancreatic cancer. I couldn’t possibly attempt to eulogize him – I don’t have the words to express what a mensch he truly was, on top of being a dazzling writer and an exceptional scholar. I will only say that Dr. Whedbee’s teaching truly was the “Torah of Kindness” of which the sages speak.

What I would like to do is share with you a bit of Dr. Whedbee’s legacy. Among other books and articles, he wrote The Bible and the Comic Vision, in which he argued that “…the Holy Book we call the Bible, revels in a profoundly ambivalent laughter, a divine and human laughter that by turns is both mocking and joyous, subversive and celebrative, and finally a laughter that results in an exuberant and transformative vision.” In other words, the Bible is, in certain places, quite funny. It pokes fun at its characters and makes use of irony, exaggeration, and clever plays on words. The humor in the Bible does not detract from its serious messages. Rather, I would argue, it ultimately highlights the values and teachings of our tradition. As Dr. Whedbee wrote in his book, “…comedy can serve powerfully as an apt and compelling vehicle for dealing with serious themes, especially in the realm of the sacred or religious.”

A classic example is the book of Jonah, which we will read together in a few weeks on the afternoon of Yom Kippur. The humor in Jonah takes place in the form of pun, parody, caricature, and satire. For example, in chapter 2 of the book, God has commanded Jonah to prophecy to Nineveh and Jonah has attempted to flee to Tarshish. (Incidentally, this is the Biblical equivalent of being told to go clean things up in a rough inner city and heading to Hawaii instead.) After a series of adventures, Jonah is hurled into the sea and he finds himself swallowed by a sea monster. The following is Dr. Whedbee’s comment on what happens next to Jonah:

“…it is in the style of a comic writer to take the old motif of heroes who are devoured by marine monsters and then miraculously survive the sojourn in the monster’s belly, but in Jonah’s case the manner of ingestion and especially regurgitation finds a ridiculous portrayal that can best be called comic…what a way to deal with a rebel prophet: to give him a lengthy ride in a sea monster that finally vomits him up on dry ground. One notes also that God acts silently during the whole episode. It is surely ironic that during and after this scene of a fantastic submarine ride that [God] speaks to Jonah only after he has spoken to the fish. All in all it is a scene that shows a hilarious comic touch that probably evoked laughter in its ancient context.”

The book of Jonah addresses themes such as repentance and forgiveness, Divine and human will, and justice versus mercy. The comedy found in the book serves as a powerful example of how we might laugh at ourselves (even on the most serious of days, Yom Kippur) and allow our laughter to be both healing and liberating. As Dr. Whedbee zichrono livracha taught, “Comedy perennially takes up arms against the forces that stifle life and laughter. If satire fails to move on to the genuinely restorative and celebrative, it is questionable whether it still remains in the domain of comedy.”

I look forward to studying Jonah with you soon and thank you for this opportunity to pay tribute to a beloved teacher, J. William Whedbee.

	Rabbi's Reflections - September 2004
	Humor in the Holy? by Rabbi Mari Chernow The one who teaches his wisdom to others, it is the Torah of kindness ~Sukkah, 49 I have been truly blessed to learn from many brilliant and inspiring teachers. One such teacher was J. William Whedbee. Dr. Whedbee was the Nancy M. Lyon Professor of Biblical Literature and History at Pomona College and he taught from time to time at HUC. I was fortunate enough to know him through his wife, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, and as his student my final year of Rabbinical school. We shared not only a deep admiration for Dr. Eskenazi, but also a quirky enthusiasm for the nuances of Biblical grammar. Along with the rest of the college community and the world of Biblical scholars, I was crushed when Dr. Whedbee died in January of pancreatic cancer. I couldn’t possibly attempt to eulogize him – I don’t have the words to express what a mensch he truly was, on top of being a dazzling writer and an exceptional scholar. I will only say that Dr. Whedbee’s teaching truly was the “Torah of Kindness” of which the sages speak. What I would like to do is share with you a bit of Dr. Whedbee’s legacy. Among other books and articles, he wrote The Bible and the Comic Vision, in which he argued that “…the Holy Book we call the Bible, revels in a profoundly ambivalent laughter, a divine and human laughter that by turns is both mocking and joyous, subversive and celebrative, and finally a laughter that results in an exuberant and transformative vision.” In other words, the Bible is, in certain places, quite funny. It pokes fun at its characters and makes use of irony, exaggeration, and clever plays on words. The humor in the Bible does not detract from its serious messages. Rather, I would argue, it ultimately highlights the values and teachings of our tradition. As Dr. Whedbee wrote in his book, “…comedy can serve powerfully as an apt and compelling vehicle for dealing with serious themes, especially in the realm of the sacred or religious.” A classic example is the book of Jonah, which we will read together in a few weeks on the afternoon of Yom Kippur. The humor in Jonah takes place in the form of pun, parody, caricature, and satire. For example, in chapter 2 of the book, God has commanded Jonah to prophecy to Nineveh and Jonah has attempted to flee to Tarshish. (Incidentally, this is the Biblical equivalent of being told to go clean things up in a rough inner city and heading to Hawaii instead.) After a series of adventures, Jonah is hurled into the sea and he finds himself swallowed by a sea monster. The following is Dr. Whedbee’s comment on what happens next to Jonah: “…it is in the style of a comic writer to take the old motif of heroes who are devoured by marine monsters and then miraculously survive the sojourn in the monster’s belly, but in Jonah’s case the manner of ingestion and especially regurgitation finds a ridiculous portrayal that can best be called comic…what a way to deal with a rebel prophet: to give him a lengthy ride in a sea monster that finally vomits him up on dry ground. One notes also that God acts silently during the whole episode. It is surely ironic that during and after this scene of a fantastic submarine ride that [God] speaks to Jonah only after he has spoken to the fish. All in all it is a scene that shows a hilarious comic touch that probably evoked laughter in its ancient context.” The book of Jonah addresses themes such as repentance and forgiveness, Divine and human will, and justice versus mercy. The comedy found in the book serves as a powerful example of how we might laugh at ourselves (even on the most serious of days, Yom Kippur) and allow our laughter to be both healing and liberating. As Dr. Whedbee zichrono livracha taught, “Comedy perennially takes up arms against the forces that stifle life and laughter. If satire fails to move on to the genuinely restorative and celebrative, it is questionable whether it still remains in the domain of comedy.” I look forward to studying Jonah with you soon and thank you for this opportunity to pay tribute to a beloved teacher, J. William Whedbee.
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