Reply To: Sasson and Simcha

Are you implying that a joke is better than Mah Na’eh Ilan Zeh? Were they worried that the joke might not survive the generations if they don’t put it in? Is the Gemara just a live recording of whatever was being spoken at the time? Can you make a Birchas Hatorah on this Gemara? Sure, humor is invoked in many statements, but just repeating a Narishkeit during learning because it’s funny is not something my Rebbe would do, although he has a great sense of humor. There is much to be seen in every Agadetta. Even if you don’t have the time to delve into them, you are missing out by dismissing these Gemaros as light-headed babble.

All that aside, this was not my point. My point is that even when the Gemara is quoting something cute that (at least on the face of it) was simply meant to be witty, we were carefull to quote it exactly. If some had heard it with one word different we mentioned that.