Q:
Would you say that the end result of someone who learns Torah is that he should be a humorless person in this world?
A:
You’re asking me if a person learns certain Torah subjects will he become humorless? Who cares if he’s humorless? This business that it’s a problem if a person is lacking in humor is an American attitude. We don’t find it anyplace in the kisvei hakodesh or in the divrei Chazal. You have to have humor?! No such thing.
Unless you mean cheerfulness and kindliness; but humor we don’t need. It’s a goyishe idea. It’s imported from the outside world and we can get along well without it. There’s no reason to be a humorous person.
However, when a person learns Torah he becomes patient and kindly. He won’t make jokes or pranks though. If that’s what you mean, no, he won’t make any pranks; he won’t make any mischief. But he understands other people and he tries to make them happy. It’s all gemilus chassodim. A person who learns Torah well, so he smiles at other people because he learned the gemara that taught him that it’s a mitzvah to be מלבין שיניים לחבירו, to show his white teeth to others; it means a big smile. He’s kind to people and he speaks words of consolation to them. It’s all in the gemara; it’sall in the chumash. Wherever you look, you’ll find these things. That’s what we want; that’s what the Torah teaches. But otherwise, the idea of being humorous has no place in the service of Hashem; it’s not a midda tova at all and therefore we can forget about it.
TAPE # 846
