“A scholar named Rav Avia Sabba asked Rabbah bar Rav Huna a difficult question about whether a closed bone containing marrow could pass on ritual impurity. Instead of answering the question directly, Rabbah bar Rav Huna looked up and said, “See, there is a raven flying past!
“Rabbah bar
Rav Huna was not trying to be rude. He used the raven as a distraction because he
was simply too exhausted and drained to answer.
“Later, his
son Rava asked him why he brushed off such a great scholar with a story about a
bird. Rabbah bar Rav Huna explained his state of mind by quoting a verse from
Song of Songs (2:5): "Sustain me with dainties, refresh me with apples;
for I am love-sick." He meant that he was physically and mentally weak
at that exact moment and did not have the clarity or energy needed to properly
engage in a complex legal debate” (TB
Khullin, 124b, Sefaria.org translation)
We do the same deflection. How many times have I’ve said with a smile, “Look! Hayley’s Comet!
Who says the rabbis don’t have a sense of humor
“If a resident of Neresh kisses you, count your teeth to make sure he
did not steal one.” TB
Kullin, 127a, Sefaria.org translation)
In
this section of massekhet Khullin,
the Talmud discusses a few different towns in ancient Babylonia whose citizens
had a reputation for being tricky or dishonest. The sages used colorful,
exaggerated humor—like stealing a tooth right out of someone's mouth during a
friendly kiss—to tell travelers to keep their guard up
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