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MARCH 22, 2016 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
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When Life’s a Barrel of Laughs Four Funnymen Talk about How they Make us Chuckle By Malky Lowinger
We all enjoy a good laugh, a clever joke, a funny story. It does wonders for our mood, boosts our spirits, and helps us forget our troubles – even if it’s just for a little while. But making people laugh isn’t easy and performing in front of an audience is hard work. Yet somehow, these fellows make it look easy. Who are these funny guys? What special talents do they possess? Who are their role models? And what makes them make us want to laugh? As Purim approaches, we salute the performers who have turned laughter into a serious business. They keep the rest of us happy.
THE YARME ROV
R
abbi Yankel Miller is no youngster. But he’s still an expert at showing us the sunny side of life. “It all started about fifty years ago,” says Rabbi Miller, who calls himself the Yarme Rov. “In those days, I used to be a ‘Peerim Roov.” Every Peerim I would make jokes at the table, by the Rebbe’s ‘Peerim Tisch.’” One year, after Purim,
Rabbi Yankel Miller in front of Rav Chaim Kanievsky
his Rebbe turned to him and said, “Yankel, why don’t you become a badchan?” And that’s exactly what he did. At the time there was only one badchan in America, the legendary R’Chaim Mendel Mermelstein. Rabbi Miller, who was looking for a source of parnassah, was open to the suggestion. But how to get started? The opportunity present-
ed itself soon enough. “I was once on my way from Monsey to the city and a family asked me for a ride. Their son was a chosson at the time and on the way, they said to me, ‘Maybe you’ll come to our chasuna and tell a few jokes? We’ll pay you twenty dollars!’” And the rest is Yarme history. Today, Rabbi Miller prefers to perform at sheva
brochos rather than at weddings, because, as he says, “you don’t have to be up so late at night.” Either way, he relates, “Being mesameach Yidden is a big mitzvah!” Rabbi Miller is a Vizhnitzer chassid and has been living in Monsey since 1964. He enjoys a worldwide reputation for his heimishe wit and humor. But he is careful to make a distinction between badchanus and leitzanus. “Badchanus,” he asserts, “is making jokes about things that go on around the world, like politics. Leitzanus is making fun of people. That’s something I don’t do. I never get personal. That’s why everybody likes me,” he quips They also like his trademark story of the kortzeh hoizen, the short pants (part of the Chassidic levush). It
goes something like this: Tonight, somebody asked me, “How come you don’t wear normal pants like the rest of us do?” So I told him I just bought a new pair of pants. My wife said they’re too long. So I told her, “You’re right. Maybe take a pair of scissors and cut off two inches?” She said, “I’m too busy right now.” Then I went to my daughter and asked her if she could cut off two inches. And she said, “Tatty, I would do it gladly but I’m busy.” Then I asked another daughter and a third daughter, and nobody had time. Finally, I went out to daven Maariv. By then, my wife said OK, she finally has time, and she cut off two inches. My daughter also came out of her room and cut off two inches. And my other daughter. Nu, when I came Continued on page S14