Traditional Jewish Folktales
Jewish folktale tradition stories differ from those of
European origin in many ways. They are unique. Almost all the Jewish folktales
that we read and analyzed in class include religious believes, and majority
used a rabbi as the heroic symbol. Many also discussed tension between
religion, used an abundance of the number three, and contained lessons, jokes,
or tricks.
The short stories that we read used rabbis as the hero over
and over again. In stories like, “The Rabbi and the Inquisitor” the rabbi was falsely
accused of murdering a Christian boy. This speaks on the tension between the
Jewish people and the Christian people. In the end, the rabbi emerged the hero,
and used his wits to outsmart his enemies. Also in the story, “The Rabbi Who
Was Turned into a Werewolf,” the rabbi underwent hardships against his wife,
and at the end of the story was turned back into himself, and his wife (enemy)
was turned into a donkey.
I noticed throughout reading these stories the number
three was used, and repeated a lot. Tasks were completed in sets of three in
some stories as well. This reminded me of some European stories. For example, “The
Three Blind Mice,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and “The Three Billy Goats
Gruff.” These all include the number three as an important numeric symbol. In “The
Rabbi Who Was Turned into a Werewolf,” the “advisor tried to attack the wolf a
third time.” Also, in “The Magic Mirror of Rabbi Adam,” there were three different
tests of magical power.
Lastly, something that I find very unique about these
Jewish folktales is the wit, humor, and comedic factor. In almost every story,
the writer included things to make the reader giggle, or smile. Some of the
humor is dark, but it all leads to the moral in the end. For example, in “A
Dispute in Sign Language,” the man, and the priest both have different
meanings, but they believe it to mean something else. This touches on the power
of interpretation, and is humorous in a sense. Also in, “Chelm Justice” one may
think the story makes no sense, why would the judge agree to kill a random
roofer, over an actual murderer just because of his needed job position. This
touches on false logic, and injustice in a dark, yet funny light.
Traditional Jewish folktales are unique, and contain
different aspects to make them how they are. These factors are different and similar
to European folktales in many ways, but they stand out, and are very important
culturally.
Photo source: Google images
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