Elisheva Schoenfeld

INDEX TO DRUYAIW' S COLLECTION

 OF JOKES AND ANECDOTES

 

W

Waiter (See also: "Inn", "Innkeeper(s)", "Guest(s) of Inn" "Restaurant")

W. brings coffee in chamber pot to antisemitic officer. - 1958

W. drops meat on floor, then serves it to customer. - 794

W. forgets comb for "combing the soup". - 797

W. holds meat on plate by putting his hand on it. - 3126

W. doesn't know when fish were fresh. He only serves six weeks. - 782

W. refuses to exchange spoon with yolk stuck to it for clean one. - 769

W. is sorry he cannot serve customer filled spleen baked in oil. - 817

W. wakes sleeping guest early in the morning. He needs the table cloth guest is sleeping on. - 775

Warehouse

W. in Moscow. Neither tractor nor butter can be bought there. - 2825

Washing facilities

W. seem difficult in Palestine for newly arrived maiden. - 2657

Watch

W. compared with German: When it is struck it works. - 2762

Watchmaker

W. is given watch for repair. After "repair" it only works when shaken. Customer needs a watch and not a lulav. - 131

W. praises his watches: "They are faster than the Tower clock. - 132

W. being also slaughterer is bad at both crafts. - 495

W. hasn't touched the watch to be repaired. It doesn't work. - 133

Water

W. bought at market since hen is all fat, fat like oil, oil like water. - 1095

W. of Marienbad prescribed as remedy against corpulence. - 1639

W. is sufficing for the Jews in Palestine. What they lack is fire (Alfred Mond). - 2666

"The drop of w. would not put out the fire of hell," says Jew to priest trying to have him baptized. - 2005

"Three kinds of w. are lost: w. flowing into the sea, w. poured into wine, and w. sprinkled on Jew." - 1999

Watercarrier

W. inherits some money which he gives as a loan to a rich man. - 1088

W.'s daughter and woodcutter's son are getting married. Dispute over dowry. - 1487

W.'s wife washes his pants. ("Thankful fool"). - 1089

Wealthy man (men) (See also: "Rich", "Poor", "Beggar(s)")

W. bankrupts. Does not pay butcher's bill. - 109

W. decreases beggar's "monthly allowance". - 270

W. gives but 5% interest on deposit. - 93

W. invites Maskil to his 50th birthday party. Latter is "anti­semite" of sweatmeats. - 1270

W. meets young people speaking Hebrew. Thinks they say the prayer book by heart. (3 versions). - 1261

W. reminded of Jahrzeit by beadle. - 535

W. and his scribe. - 563

W., his sons and sons-in-law and guests play cards at sunrise. - 985

W. and teacher each digs a pit at night, the one for his jewelry, the other for his wife. - 1625

W. trading with hog bristles is not greeted by teacher of his son. - 253

W. is warned of pride. - 224

W.'s death is not mourned. - 489

How much is the w. worth? - 209

W. men are well taken care of by bath attendant. - 404

Weather forecast

W. made by rag mounted on high pole. - 3112

Weeding

W., a pleasure on Sabbat. - 1831

Week

W. of five days introduced by Lenin for Bolshevic Moscow. ­2829

Weeping

W. in the family of the Zar. - 2778

"Weil," so schliesst er messerscharf, "nicht sein kann, was nicht sein darf." - 893 (?). 1746

Wezir

W. of Portugal's king introduces three hats of Jews to audience of those of Jewish descent: himself, the bishop and the king himself. - 1914

Wholesaler(s) (see also: "Dealer(s)", "Merchant(s)", "Peddler(s)", "Shopkeeper(s)")

W. admires Jew of small town: "Yesterday a beggar and today a shopkeeper." - 114

W. asks factory for mailing the second part of ordered goods before paying first lot. - 88

W. comes to small town for a rest and not for business. - 38

W. instructs salesman to sell the surplus in the provinces: five blouses for the price of four. - 23

W. instructs his son on how brief a telegram should be sent to merchant owing money. - 2978

W. refuses giving credit for 90 days. Fears sleepless nights. - 24

W. sends salesman for selling summer dresses in provinces. Reduces price until latter drops dead. - 168

W. takes goods on credit only once but from many places. He never pays. - 80

W.'s agent sent to small place for collecting a debt. Told not to hurry and drink coffee. Telegraphs: "No coffee. What shall I do?" - 1145

W.'s agent steals pairs of trousers. Employer deducts their price from salary. - 73

W.'s employee has notebook of foolish deeds of employer and customers. - 172

W.'s employee has sacks of flour transported from mill. Takes one kopeck per sack for himself. - 1367

Widow (see also: "Husband(s)", "Wife(ves)", "Widower")

W. of rabbi has lease on the manufacture of candles. Refuses to pay rent. - 39

W. of water carrier leaves her savings for shrouds with rabbi's wife. They gradually decrease. - 999

Faithless w. thinks of getting married again at husband's funeral. - 1603

Old w. marries a dumb. - 709

Rich w. of good family visits widowed R. Heshel for making a match between him and a rich w. ... herself. - 1517

Young w. lying on husband's grave is tickled by beetle crawling over her breast. Blames husband. - 1604

Young w. marries old widower. Wished he would leave her (as) a w. - 1597

Old w. intends to deposit a certain amount of rubles at bankrupt banker's. - 94

Widower (See also: "Husband(s), "Man (men)", "old")

W. too busy for holding wife's funeral on fixed day. - 1630

W. cautions porters to carefully step with wife's coffin. Is afraid she will revive as at her first funeral. - 1584

W. is certain that only a mad woman would marry him. Therefore, prefers to stay single. - 1649  

W. with children marries widow with children. - 1660

W. at the funeral of third wife asks porters for taking the coffin to cemetery through yards and fields. - 1617

W. marries second and third time without service of matchmaker. - 1489

W. marries three sisters. They die one after the other before him. - 1616

W. prefers to stay single. - 1615, 1621

W. prefers to stay single. Cannot decide on woman who would suit him. - 2092

W. on his way back from the funeral of his wife is hit by roof tile. Blames the wife. - 1586

Old w. intends to marry a third wife, virgin. - 1623  

Old w. marries virgin since "he loves himself. - 702

Old w. marries young woman for sewing the buttons on his pants. - 706

Rich w. intends to marry virgin since sons of second wife claimed by latter to be dead are visiting him. - 1623

Wife(ves) (See also: "Husband(s)", "Matchmaker(s)", "Rabbi – Adviser in Connubial Problems")

W. admonishes husband for eating on Yom Kippur. - 1746

W. advised by rabbi to answer her quarrelsome husband with silence. - 3033

W. of bankrupt banker refuses to accept deposit of widow. Husband would have taken the money and given her alms. - 94

W. of bankrupt man offers her husband and herself to be sold by creditors. - 100

W. though beautiful compared to hurting shoe. - 1533

W. bitten by dog. Dog may become mad. - 1551       .

W. does not blame husband before divorce since she must be loyal. After divorce, she does not blame stranger. - 1605

W. breaks her leg on entrance to Sukkah. - 1638

W. comes home from baker with strange Sabbat dish. - 1637

W. commits adultery with officer. Husband would have beaten him had he a pistol. -  2750

W. complains to rabbi about annoying husband. - 964

W. complains to rabbi about husband's gluttony and drinking. Rabbi rebukes him for neglect of his family. - 867

W. complains to rabbi about husband's neglect of putting on phylacteries. - 1781

W. demands of husband, a glutton and drunkard to read the Haggadah on Seder night. - 814

W. of doctor is barren. A woman comes to consult doctor in the same matter but cannot rely on one who cannot help his own w. - 920

W. given as mother-in-law to young man at the same time as daughter is given him as w. - 1724

W. of Hersheli claims that she would not have married him if her father had not made her. - 2140

W. of Hersheli comes naked before him every day as against Vashti who was supposed to come naked before Ahasverus only once. - 2139

W. of Hersheli heaps abuses on him when he comes home drunken. - 879

W. of Hersheli reported dead. The money received for shrouds, they spend on food for Passover. - 2138

W. to husband on eve of Passover: "I burned all leavened dough and bread." Husband: "Excepting yourself!" - 1602

W. to husband: "You now curse me, but after I'll die you scratch the earth for having me back." Husband: "I wished I could scratch now." - 1613

W. of immigrant brings her eighteen children to America. - 3045

W. informs rabbi about husband's new smoking habits in the middle of the night. - 1606

W. interferes incessantly while dying husband is dictating will to rabbi. - 1626

W. must know her husband by his knock on the door. - 3116

W. of Kommerzienrat claims to have met Rembrandt the painter on streetcar No. 9 going to Potsdam circle. - 1271

W. loudly laments dying husband. - 1628

W. pities traveller in stormy winter night. Husband: "As soon as you let him in my pity will be gone." - 237

W. of poor man is angry with husband bringing guest. - 297

W. of poor man makes omelette without eggs, without butter and without a pan. - 187

W. of poor man offers guest a dish of "plague and cholera" for supper. - 296 (1611)

W. of poor man sends husband begging for alms to rich man. - 250

W. of rich husband complains about the many poor people in town. - 239

W. of rich man in labour sighs in Russian and French. Doctor hastens to her bedside as soon as she cries out in Yiddish. - 2952

W. of rich man to poor visiting relative: "Do you not long to see your w.?" Guest is willing to call for his. w. - 243

W. being robbed of cracknels, their livelihood, is forgiven by husband. - 1650

W. is to be sold without charge. - 1656

W. of son comes from the same town as friend's. - 1549

W. spends all the curses in the world on husband within one day. - 1552

W. suspects husband of neglecting his prayer when travelling. Puts handkerchieves in bag of phylacteries. - 1784

W. must take a mouthful of water and keep it there until anger of husband subsides. - 1600

W. thrown into the sea. Her tongue is the heaviest thing on board. - 1539

W. unwittingly reveals having a lover. - 1812

wakens husband in the middle of the night for rocking the child. - 1659

W. wants husband to stop drinking and die like the goat. - 843

W.'s complaint:"The more luck (children) we· have, the less we have to eat." - 191

W.'s tongue is the cause for husband's disease of the lung. - 1540

Angry w. has prepared "dish of malaria" for lunch. - ­1562, (1611)

Cobbler's w. hit by last "unintentionally" thrown at her by husband. - 1570

Cursing w. and "forgiving" husband. - 1579

Cursing w. is hell for husband. Therefore, he smokes on Sabbat. - 1565

Death of w. is like eating horse radish, the eyes weeo and the heart is glad. - 1578

Death of second w. before first preferred. - 1620

Dying w. ­implores husband to make peace with mother-in-law. - ­1629

Elimelekh's wife is evil. "No grass is growing on her head." - ­3034

Evil w. is in agony for some time but recovers. - 1634

Hersheli'e w. took (ritual) bath in winter resulting in a belly swelling like a barrel. - 2132

His w. refuses to die in spite of his generous allowance. - 1610

"The longer the w. is in the ground the more she improves." - 1587

Modke's w. welcomes the guest with a dish of "troubles, suffering and cholera." - 1611 (1562)

"My w. must have been poisoned. Yesterday she bit her tongue." - 1550

Newly wedded w. compared to matsah: dried-up, black and speckled. - 1524

Second w. is evil. - 1553 (pun)

Second young w. of old man compared to phylacteries of R. Tarn. - 3032

Shemaya's resolute w. "has her arms with her," and husband is afraid of arms. - 2090

Shemaya's w. would have known from where to take the money for her own funeral. - 2091

Shemaya's w. would have known a suitable second w. for her widowed husband. - 2092

Sick w. sent to health resort and supported by husband does not return home. - 1640

Tailor's w. to husband about to leave with a bundle of trousers to be sold: "God willing, you will return without trousers." - 979

Talkative w. knows 4 languages, that means she took 36 measures of talk. - 1537

Talkative w. has her mouth shut up with thermometer. - 1536

Ugly w. abandoned by husband is promised by Zaddik that he will return. The others know better. - 1529

Ugly w. asks husband for curtains so as to prevent neighbor from peeping. Husband suggests to wait until neighbor will do it. - 1532

Ugly w. complains about husband who wants to divorce her. - 1528

Ugly w. is reason for demanding a divorce. - 1527

An ugly w. is a sure sign of husband's trustworthiness. - 1530

Ugly w. thought to be servant of the house. 1523, 1525

Ugly w. always travels with husband, He cannot give her a good-bye kiss. - 1531

Years of w.'s life are contributed by volunteer for prolonging life of zaddik. - 1635 (690)

Three wives of Shnitkaver: two are evil and one is good. He divorces all three of them. - 1588

Wig

A w. is found in the cooking pot. ("In a well-ordered household nothing is lost...) - 2859

Wine

W. is cheating when it is supposed to do its task: When sent to the stomach it "goes" into the head. - 860

A w. keg has been brought home by Rersheli ... in his stomach. - 879

W. is leaking out of hole at the bottom of the keg. - 379

W. and water in the keg. Each of Neutra's residents pours water into the keg thinking the others would pour in wine. - 1324

"Good and cheap w. is sold here." - 862

Three bottles of w. are sufficient for the benediction of Sabbat and for its outgoing when both are done together. ­857

"The taste of w. triumphes over the 70 reasons for not drinking w." (Modena) - 881

Winedealer (see also: "Wine")

W. awakened in the middle of the night by neighbor who wishes to buy keg. - 3131

W. compared with Moses who also dealt with water. - 52

W. offers Brodes mead. Latter refuses to call it "drink". - 886

W. sells three kinds of wine and vinegar all from the same barrel. - 51

W. wakes up in the night and wants to study without expressly telling the gentile boy to light the candle. - 2055

W. wonders about being poor although he sells his wine mixed with 50% water. - 49

W.'s answer to Polish graf's antisemitic remark: "Wine and women were expensive at agricultural exhibition." - 1982

Dying w. to sons: "I discovered some good ingredients for wine, even grapes." - 50

Wisdom

W. acquired from experience. - 415

W. preferred to riches though wise men knock on the door of the rich. - 213

W. preferred to riches: "Wise people have become rich but rich ones have never become wise." - 214

Witness (see also: "Delinquent(s)", "Judge(s)")

W. in court claims to have heard about the matter in question but not seen. Is disqualified. - 3142

Main w. to investigation committee in 1930 forgets everything when questioned by Jewish delegates but remembers every detail when questioned by Arab delegates. - 2675

Wolf

A w. happened to be shot by hunter. Lone man believes his stick has done the job. "If God wills even a stick shoots." - 2747

Woman(men) (see also: "Man(men)", "poor", "rich", "Widow", "Widower", "Wife(ves) ", "Husband(s)")

W. asks doctor for an examination: "May be you will find some disease." - 941

W. in doctor's waiting room. Doctor's wife tells her that she is barren. The woman goes away since doctor cannot cure his own wife. - 920

W. comes to R. Eizel and complains about her dream on her only son being mad. - 218

W. comes to Rothschild asking for support. She claims to be a near relative of his. - 247

W. complains about being poor. If she were rich her only little boy already would be bar-mitsvah. - 977

W. complains that she had not received any message from her father since six months ago. - 1018 (1175)

W. used to "correct" mistakes made by reader of the Tora makes a fool of herself. - 965

W crosses rickety bridge and promises contribution to R. Meir the wonderworker on her safe return. ("God can't take a joke") - 996

W. holds prayer book upside-down. She is left-handed. - 1214

W. has lost her chicken and contributes some coins to R. Meir the wonderworker. The chicken cannot be found, and R. Meir is accused. - 978

W. to be married should be either so beautiful that money does not matter or so rich that beauty does not matter. ­1500

W. goes to "measure the field" (the cemetery) in the days between Rosh Hashanh and Yom Kippur. - 997

W. has no more mercy with Joseph who has himself sold every year. ("The same old story"). - 975

W. visits doctor with all kinds of pains and disturbances. - ­939

W. of Zulu tribe "is also good" (Pun). - 3037

W.'s child is sick with scarlet fever. She doesn't trust Heaven. - 950

W.'s life is lost as soon as she goes to the wedding canopy. - 1592

A beautiful w. sitting next to Adam Hacohen at a banquet reminds him of the destruction of the Temple. - 1804

Blind w. would have given money to Modke if she could have seen him. - 2177

Comely w. compared with Sabbat candle. - 3149

Learned w. says that Moses was worse than Haman. - 1215

Old w. hurries to see the synagogue burning since she had not seen the Temple burning. - 971

"Do not talk too much with a w.!" - 1801

Rich and fat w. pays high price for being carried by a porter through the mire of Pinsk. Porter cannot reach his posterior and uncovers hers instead. - 2986

Wealthy w. in view of gentile funeral in April (Nissan): "The death of a poor Jew would be preferable to that of Esau (Christian)." - 238

Wise w. with many children: "I love all of them however, all of them open their mouths" (want food and clothing). - 3044

Women are the fiercest among the animals. (Pun on names.) ­- 1607

W. are forbidden to enter stock exchange during certain hour. - 9

W. are pushed aside at funerals since "the Angel of Death dances in front of them." - 1576

The difference between the Israeli w. and those of the whole world. - 2663

Wailing w. at funeral of friend. - 2165

Why do w. curse the rolling pin on Sabbat eve when preparing chale? - 1559

Wonderworkers and their deeds

Angel of Death chokes woman to death in spite of the rabbi's efforts. - 600

Angels play on rabbi's bed but horses couple on his wife's. - 615

Beams did not turn into snakes upon the rabbi's explicit prayer. - 594

Disciples of rabbi remain poor. Rabbi wants to help and could do so. However, he does not help. - 595

Exchange of colors. Flask is red and rabbi's face pale. Later, rabbi's face is red and flask pale. - 610

Hands of gentiles are paralyzed when they intend to stone the rabbi. Latter had been hurt by deaf man. - 597

The rabbi ascends to Heaven. - 596

The rabbi was not attentive: The woman gives birth to two daughters instead of one boy. - 601

The rabbi and disciples are in R., and the rabbi sees the fire in far away L. - 593

The rabbi goes to save a fallen man, but he cannot revive him. - 599

The rabbi orders the dried-up river to throw-up fish for Sabbat. Clouds cover the sky, and the rains do not stop. The rabbi waves his belt and orders the moon to show itself for the blessing. - 590 (1656)

The rabbi's prayer produces rain which cannot be stopped. - 598

The rabbi turns his eyes to roasted chicken which is trans­formed into a heap of bones. - 614

Rain pours down on travellers. The rabbi spreads his arms, and the sun shines for the travellers only. - 591

Rabbi and disciples return on eve of Shabbat. Night comes, and the rabbi waves his arms: Sabbat is right and left but weekday on the road. - 591

The stick prays the afternoon prayer. - 592

The zaddik blesses mentally disturbed man and so heals him. - 678

Wonderworker and Maskil. The former promises the woman that she will have a child, and she hasn't. The latter promises she won't have a child, and she has one. - 1816

Woodcutter

W.'s craft becomes easier with every addition of gentile as against teacher whose craft becomes more difficult with every addition. - 560

W.'s son and watercarrier's daughter are getting married. -1487

World

W. divided between madman and his partner the zaddik. - 1160

"The w. is entirely imaginary. Nothing exists excepting the stove." - 2085

The w. is upside-down. Rich men receive loans as soon as there is money in sight while poor men are never getting the loans they need. - 230

W. War I, a war of G.O.G. and M.A.G.O.G. (each letter used for a word of abuse. - pun). - 2754

Writer

Old w. observes a young couple comfortably sitting in a corner. - 1802