Big Little Book of Jewish Wit & Wisdom

by Sally Ann Berk

This small, chunky volume presents the witty, wonderful, deadpan and droll insight of Jewish culture and humor.
With chapters on wisdom, mitzvahs, dybbuks, proverbs, jokes, curses, conventions, mores (ethics), love amd marriage, men and women, children and family--this captivating collection provides reflections gleaned from a wealth of ancient, traditional and modern sources. The range of wise observations on the ways of the world, snappy one-liners, stories and expressions captures the spirit of the Jews throughout the centuries. Illustrated with sixty watercolor paintings, The Big Little Book of Jewish Wit & Wisdom will delight and engage even the toughest Jewish mother.
Some examples

When we hear a baby laugh, it is the loveliest thing that can happen to us. -- Sigmund Freud

A child's wisdom is also wisdom. -- Yiddish proverb

May you lose all your teeth but one, and may that one have a cavity. -- Anonymous (Yiddish curse)

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2000

Reviews

[Jan Rice]

Unscramble these quotes and authors;
Pair each quote with its correct author:

1. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean
they're not out to get you ................... Mae West

2. Beauty comes in all sizes, not just size
five ........................................................ Tom Lehrer

3. If you keep saying things are going to be
bad, you have a chance of being a
prophet ..................................... Roseanne Barr

4. What soap is for the body, tears are for
the soul ................................... Abbie Hoffman

5. Guilt is a rope that wears thin ....Groucho Marx

6. All excellent things are as difficult as
they are rare ......................................... Ayn Rand

7. The meaning of life is that
it stops ...................................... Jewish proverb

8. When choosing between two evils, I
always like to try the one I never
tried before ........................ Isaac Bashevis Singer

9. While legends or their details might
not be fully accurate or even true,
they serve to characterize both the
people and the times .............. Franz Kafka

10. I know that there are people who do
not love their fellow man, and I
hate people like that ............... Baruch Spinoza

11. Never let your sense of morals get
in the way of doing what's
right .................................... Isaac Asimov

12. These are my principles. If
you don't like them, I have
others .......................... none/unknown

13. Ask your child what he wants for
dinner only if he is buying ........ Rabbi Berel Wein

14. Jews are like everyone else, only
more so ......................................... Fran Lebowitz

Key: 1. Abbie Hoffman, 2. Roseanne Barr, 3. Isaac Bashevis Singer, 4. Jewish proverb, 5. Ayn Rand, 6. Baruch Spinoza, 7. Franz Kafka, 8. Mae West, 9. Rabbi Berel Wein, 10. Tom Lehrer, 11. Isaac Asimov, 12. Groucho Marx, 13. Fran Lebowitz, 14. none/unknown

Addendum 6/26/2026
I'm just reading the first article in the new July 2026 Atlantic that just arrived, by Yoni Appelbaum, about how participants in a discussion on how to tell a unifying story of American history reacted to "patriotism" as though it were a dirty word.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
Reminds me of the Ayn Rand quote from above: Guilt is a rope that wears thin.
Americans of a certain political leaning can't bear up under their load of unabsolvable sin, so it morphs into blame and hate.

[Michael Kaplan]

I re read this & never tire of the LOLs , best part you can read randomly, subject etc.

[Rebecca]

This book has been a great resource to me over the years for funny jokes and cool quotes. All of them seem very Jewish, whether they are about the Holocaust, bubbe’s chicken soup, or just life. The title is annoying, but the contents are amazing.

[Shishir]

Some real gems - great collection of quotes and sayings

[Andrea]

A quick read of quotes ranging from funny to thought provoking to downright strange. Enjoyed it.

[Molly G]

(PS Happy Hannukah!)