Blog entry 10: Jewish folk tales
Jewish Folk Tales vs. European Folk Tales
Jewish folklore revolves around the religion of Judaism and its key beliefs. On the other hand, many European folk tales have Christian or Catholic authors, causing their morals and messages to align to that faith.
The 'falcon' that I heavily noticed in the several Jewish tales I read was the humor. Many of the tales were sarcastically titled or had humorous endings. For example, in the tale "Chelm Justice" the town of Chelm decided it would be more logical to sentence one of the two roofers to death rather than the cobbler that had just murdered someone because they needed someone to mend their shoes. European tales, however, are not usually meant to make their reader laugh, but to teach lessons, spark the imagination or soothe anxieties. Sometimes it is refreshing to read a tale that just makes you laugh.
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Also, every tale incorporated a rabbi. This leads me to believe that rabbis are viewed highly in the Jewish culture and represent a symbol of Judaism. It is noteworthy because it is uncommon to read tales with priests or pastors as the lead protagonist in European folk tales.
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| https://www.jta.org/2016/03/28/culture/5-shocking-quotes-by-israels-chief-rabbis#.VvqgJS5JJug.facebook |
In general, Jewish tales encapsulated the culture of their people and sought to create humor, teach morals directly from occurrences in the Torah, and encourage wit and logic.
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