RE: "Kol (Isha)": (very) sort of

[Michael Davis <michaelinchicago...>]

In the tradition of Jewish joke telling, the way I heard it was...
 
the rav in the story is an elderly gentleman in a seniors home. His memory is 
fading and he doesn't respond to the two sides until they start fighting. That 
finally jiggles his memory and he gets up and says: that's the way things were!


music (at) sterlingmp(dot)org wrote:
Keep in mind the classic Jewish story of a congregation rent by 
dissension over what the tradition is in this congregation with regard 
to how a particular prayer should be chanted by the kahal (the 
worshippers). They're at a standstill, when they hear that the rabbi 
emeritus of the shul, who has long since retired to Israel, is back in 
the States, visiting. He comes to the shul, and both sides excitedly 
come to him for decision; surely *he* will know what the tradition was.

Side A presents their case to the rabbi, who nods sagely: "You're
right!" Side B excitedly protests: No, we used to do it *this* way!
The rabbi nods in agreement: "You're right, too!" Now both sides,
mystified, exclaim to the rav: "We can't *both* be right! Then half
of the shul will be chanting the prayer this way, and half the other
way!"

"*That* was the tradition!" replies the rav.

-- Robert Cohen


From: Sylvia Schildt 
> As my beloved father used to say - a mekhaye tsu 
> zayn a yid. A pleasure to be a Jew.

>>That's funny... My father used to say - shver tsu zayn a yid. Being 
>>Jewish is no picnic. Heck, if those two couldn't agree on simple 
>>existential Jewish angst, what are the chances that their Jewish 
>>progeny will see eye to eye?