The Talmud, Socrates and Two in the Smoker
The Jewish Parable

In the mid-20s, a young Jew came to the famous New York City.
The rabbi said he wanted to study the Talmud.
Do you know Aramaic? Asked the rabbi.
and no.
And the Jewish?
and no.
Did you teach Torah as a child?
No to you, Rabbi. But you do not worry. I finished the Faculty of Philosophy.
Berkeley and just defended his dissertation on logic in Socrates's philosophy.
And now, to fill the white spots in my knowledge, I want to
Learn some of the Talmud.
“You are not ready to teach the Talmud,” said the rabbi. This is the deepest book of
All written by people. But once you insist, I will arrange a test for you.
Logic: If you do it, I will work with you.
The young man agreed, and the rabbi continued.
Two people go down the smoke. One comes out with a clean face.
The other is dirty. Who is going to wash?
The young philosopher had his eyes on his forehead.
Is this a test of logic?! to
The rabbi cried.
The one with a dirty face.
is wrong. Think logically: He who has a dirty face will look at it.
The one whose face is clean, and he decides that his face is clean too. And that, w
whose face is clean, will look at the one whose face is dirty, will decide that he
He also got dirty and went to wash.
Very cleverly invented! I admired the guest. “Rabbi, give me more.
Just one test!
Okay young man. Two people go down the smoke. One comes out of
One with a clean face, the other with a dirty. Who is going to wash?
But we have already found out – the one whose face is clean!
is wrong. Both are going to wash. Logically, the one who
a clean face, will look at the one whose face is dirty, and will decide that his
The face is dirty too. And the one whose face is dirty will see that the other has gone.
When he washes, he realizes that he has a dirty face, and he goes to wash too.
I did not think about it! Surprisingly, I made a logical mistake!
Rabbi, let’s do another test!
Okay well. Two people go down the smoke. One comes out clean.
One is dirty, the other is dirty. Who is going to wash?
Both are going to wash.
is wrong. None of them will wash. Think logically:
The one whose face is dirty will look at the one whose face is clean.
Go to wash. And he whose face is clean will see that he whose
The face is dirty, does not go to wash, will understand that his face is clean, and also does not.
Go to wash.
The young man came into despair.
I can teach the Talmud. Ask something else!
Okay well. Two people go down the smoke:
Oh my God! None of them will go to wash!! to
is wrong. Knowledge of the logic of Socrates.
Is it enough to teach the Talmud? Tell me how it can be that
Two men were descending on the same pipe, and one of them stunned.
The face, and the other? Do you not understand? This whole question -
meaningless, and if you spend your life responding to meaningless
Questions, all your answers will also be meaningless!