What Is The Difference Between A Joke & Leitzanus?

Hi, this is Rabbi Lopianksy with our question and answer series where we try in a short amount of time to answer very difficult and complex questions in a very simple fashion. What is the difference between a joke and leitzanus and how do you tell? So, this is um Musar literature in Pirkei It speaks specifically about schok v'lotzon. Schok is laughter and lotzon is scoffing. A joke is where you say something that is funny that is not in any way degrading or insulting. Yeah? And leitzanus is making fun of things. Particularly making fun of important things. So, um uh [clears throat] classic joke All right? Man walks into a bar, says ouch. Okay, not very funny, but it's a joke. Because it's it's not it's not meant to hurt anybody. It's a funny observation. Seinfeld says, I walked into a drugstore. I was trying to pick a cold reliever. And this one's fast acting, but this one's long-lasting. When do I want to feel better? Now or later? So, that that's not hurtful at all. It's just a joke. George Carlin says, when you buy a loaf of loaf of bread, do you reach right into the middle cuz everyone knows those are the best pieces? >> [laughter] >> It's not making fun of anybody, right? But, when I get up and I make a joke that makes fun of Torah or makes fun of chachamim or frankly makes fun of anybody. You know? Um I remember one time one of my kids, we were by a relative's house and uh and the kids were making fun of each other, you know, and saying things. And the relative said "Why would you say that if it's hurtful?" And they said, "It's funny." And she said, "Can't you be funny without being hurtful?" And they thought and they said, "No." >> [laughter] >> That's leitzanous. Leitzanous is making fun of things. Uh schoyk is okay in limited fashion. That's why in the Mem Chaz Devarim, the 48 things you need to acquire Torah, one of them is meitzchoyk, not no schoyk, but you have to limit it. Otherwise, you can get carried away. You know, you you when you laugh, you release endorphins. It's like It's like it makes you high. And sometimes you see people like laughing and you think they look like they're drunk or some sort of intoxication. Because they're high on endorphins. It's It's just a natural high. So, laughter may not be the best medicine, but it's a fine narcotic. So, in small doses, it's okay to have a glass of wine, it's okay to have a few jokes. Rabba posach b'vedicha, he would start a shiur with a joke and then he would he would give his shiur. But, you know, always start with the opening with the opening joke, right? It It gets people open to laugh. Schoyk You know, my shifura would always say that this is called a tefach and this is called a tefach sochaik. When you laugh, you open up and you become bigger and you're more receptive to things. That's it. But, leitzanous is always destructive. So, where is leitz Where is leitzanous permitted? The only place you find leitzanous permitted is when it comes to avodah zarah. Where you make fun of negative things. And things that are anti-Torah and things that are trying to destroy Kodesh Baruch Hu in this world, and you make fun of them. So, Eliyahu Hanavi on Har Carmel against the priests of Baal, this chanting trying to get Baal to show them a sign, and he says, "Chant louder, maybe he's sleeping, you know? Just give him a little time, maybe he's in the bathroom, you know?" Just to make fun. So, leitzanus is avodah zarah. I remember me and a friend of mine were working on the Purim play and Chofetz Chaim, and it was a classic. It's classic, people still speak about it to this day. And just beforehand, one of the rabbaim who had been trashed in last year's Purim play and was sensitive, he came into the room and said, "You should just know that, you know, leitzanus is only mutar for avodah zarah." So, I said, uh I I said nothing. When he left, I looked at him and said, "What are we supposed to do?" So, we started the play by holding up pictures of avodah zarah and asking everyone to laugh. It didn't get as big a laugh as you might imagine. >> [laughter] >> I mean, I could do a few you a few, uh, you know, jokes, but, you know, when guy says, "I have the body of a god, Buddha." Okay, that's funny, you know, avodah zarah joke, you know? So, that's more or less the difference. This is David Wolowske with our question and answer series.