Skip to main content

A Schnorrer and Shelmiel

Baron Rothschild was visited by a schnorrer who looked sturdy enough to be employed in a more productive profession.
”How is it,” he asked, “that a healthy young man like you has become a schnorrer?  Isn’t there anything else you can do but beg?”
“No Baron, I can’t do anything else.”
“What do you mean, you can’t do anything else?”
”Well, you see I’m a schlemiel.”
“But there must be something that you can do!”
”I can play music.”
”Oh, you can play music? And what instrument do you play?”
”What instrument? The trombone.”
The Baron rang the bell and a servant appeared.
”James,” he said, "fetch me my trombone.”
“You see,” said the schorrer, when the servant had disappeared, “I told you I am schlemiel. I said I could play the trombone and you call and just happen to have one.”
-Friday Nite Book

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Contact

“Between 1305 and the early 1800’s. the House of Taxis ran a form of pony express service all over Europe….   Its couriers clad in blue and silver uniforms, crisscrossed the continent carrying messages between princes and generals, merchants and money lenders.” –Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave We may think we are the first generation consumed by rapid communication but we are not.   Throughout our history it has been a priority. Of course, now in the 21 st century we must ask: are we better or worse for it?