Learn the words in Hebrew to figure out the joke below:

soup – מָרָק

waiter – מֶלְצַר

funny taste – טַעַם מַצְחִיק

smiles – מְחַיֵּךְ

אֲבַקֵּשׁ – Can I ask

אֲדוֹנִי – sir

Solution:

Jack ordered soup in the restaurant but the soup did not taste good. He complained to the waiter that it had a “funny taste” (which is the polite Israeli expression to say it’s really, really bad). Instead of acknowledging Jack’s terrible experience, the waiter’s attention was focused on his words: “So if it’s a funny soup, where is your smile?”

Teacher’s Corner:

One of my students was functioning poorly. After class, I spoke to him and he confided in me that his father was really upset at him when he missed the final basket in a basketball game and caused his team to lose. He hesitated for a moment and looked down at his feet and said quietly, “My father doesn’t love me if I don’t win.”

My heart broke for my student. I said to him: This must be very painful for you. Do you think it’s possible that maybe your father just got carried away with the competitive nature of the game? It’s really important to share how you feel with both of your parents. Otherwise, you will continue to carry this burden of how you feel and it will become heavier as you get older.

But no matter what, remember this: Win or lose, you are good enough as you are! Everyone is here for a purpose and it’s up to you to discover your own unique purpose. And, I can promise you this: When you find your purpose in this world, it will be much bigger than one basket and much more important than one game. So next time, just enjoy the game for what it is—even if some people get lost in the stew.

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