For the source text click/tap here: Taanit 22
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On our daf we find that Rabi Beroka Choza’ah was once in the market of Bei Lefet when he met Eliyahu Hanavi.
He asked Eliyahu Hanavi, “Are there any bnei Olam Habah in this marketplace?” Eliyahu Hanavi answered, “No.”
Just then, two people arrived, and Eliyahu Hanavi changed his answer. Indicating the newcomers, he declared, “These two are bnei Olam Habah.”
Rabi Beroka Choza’ah asked the two men about their profession, and they responded that they were comedians/merry-makers who cheered people up. “When we see two people fighting, we make peace between them,” they said.
We explore the history of Jewish comedy and the use of humor when facing tragedy as a form of resistance.