4 | JUNE 1 • 2023
PURELY COMMENTARY
I
t has been said that many
people get lost in thought
because it is such unfamiliar
territory.
I am pleased, however, by the
number of people who have
shared with me
their enjoyment at
reading word play
that needs to be
thought about. In
several instances
recently, many of
these same folks
have sent me puns
that they have come across and
that they thought worthy of
sharing.
I would like to pay this
forward by printing some of
these delightful submissions that
have been sent my way.
• Venison for dinner again? Oh,
deer!
• England has no kidney bank,
but it does have a Liverpool.
• I tried to catch some fog, but
I mist.
• They told me that I had
type-A blood, but it was a
typo.
• I changed my iPod’s name to
Titanic. It’s syncing now.
• (Disclaimer: In line with
my lack of technological
understanding, I had that
last one explained to me by a
12-year-old!)
• Jokes about German sausages
are the wurst.
• I know someone who is
addicted to brake fluid, but he
claims he can stop at any time.
• I stayed up all night to see
where the sun went; then it
dawned on me.
• A girl claimed she recognized
me from the vegetarian club,
but I never met herbivore.
• I am reading a book about
anti-gravity, and I just can’t
put it down.
• (The next one is endearing to
us who are otherwise follicle-
ly challenged.)
• I did not like my beard at first,
but it grew on me.
• Yesterday, a clown held the
door open for me, which was
a nice jester.
• (Here is one for those who
dine out a lot.)
• I ate too much Middle
Eastern food, and now I
falafel.
• (Ready for a real groaner?)
• It was an emotional wedding;
even the cake was in tiers.
• A friend tried to annoy
me with bird puns when I
realized that toucan play at
that game.
• I hate insect puns; they really
bug me.
• My math teacher called me
average. How mean!
Well, as you ponder that
fishermen are reel men,
remember that Velcro is a rip
off!
Sy Manello
Editorial
Assistant
essay
Punny You Should Say That
W
hen the plane from
America enters
Israeli air space,
when the first ribbon of Israeli
coastline comes into view, my
ritual begins. It’s time to listen
to “Od Lo Tamu
Kol P’layich”
(Your Wonders
Have Yet to
Cease), a love
song to Israel that
stirs my heart
in those final
moments.
I did not visit Israel for the
first time until I was 41 years
old. There were many years of
waiting and longing until, at
last, I embarked with my family
on our first trip. As the plane
crossed the Mediterranean
Sea, my eyes were glued to the
horizon. When Israel’s coastline
finally appeared below me, I
was overcome with awe. That
feeling has never dimmed in my
many visits to Israel since. But
that feeling needed an outlet, a
means of expression. I found it
years ago by creating my own
“about to land in Israel” ritual.
I listen to a song that captures
my belief that Israel is a place
of wonder … and my gratitude
that we are about to see each
other again.
Our tiny land, our beautiful
land
A homeland whose dress is
simple, whose feet are bare,
Draw me into your songs,
beautiful bride,
Open your gates to me, I will
enter them and give thanks to
God.
These words remind me to
never take for granted the mir-
acle of Israel’s existence, along
with the enormous blessing of
being able to visit. To see first-
hand what the poet wrote of
and what the composer set to
music:
Your wonders have yet to
cease….
The wonder of Jewish
national rebirth and the way it
changed the existential condi-
tion of the Jewish people. The
wonder of a flourishing Hebrew
culture — music, literature, the
comedians on TV
, the street
names, even the billboards.
Those wonders include the
way a visit to Israel can be
transformative for Jews who
make the effort to encounter
Israel in person. I recently
returned from a 240-person
Minneapolis community
mission, celebrating Israel’s
75th anniversary. One-third
of the participants were first-
time visitors to Israel and many
others had been to Israel just
once, decades ago.
While all were dazzled by the
historic sites they visited, the
scenic beauty, the energy and
vibrancy of the Israeli scene,
what seemed to take many by
surprise was how being in Israel
made them feel. An 80-year-
Sally Abrams
Times of
Israel
essay
The Song That Binds Me to Israel