Learn the words below to figure out the joke:

עוֹלֶה – to go up       נוֹעֲדָה – Designed for

מַעֲלִית – An elevator       רָצִיתִי – I wanted

שַׁלָּט – A sigh       לְחַכּוֹת – to wait

Solution:

The sign said: “The elevator is designed for 12 people.” Bazooka Joe did not board the elevator because he didn’t think it would go with just one person, and he didn’t want to wait until 11 people will show up.

Teacher’s Corner:

I assigned the class to organize themselves into multiple groups. One student was fearful of not being accepted. I encouraged her to start her own group and invite others to join her. I told her a secret: Everyone is fearful. However, do you want to wait for 11 other people to lead you?  Because then you won’t end up going anywhere.

If you lead, people will follow you. Leading is an acquired skill. We learn to lead by leading.

Maya Yehezkel is a Hebrew teacher at Yeshivat Noam Middle School. For private tutoring, all levels, email [email protected].