ABSTRACT

There is a frequently told story that goes like this: During a Sabbath service, a rabbi is seized by a sudden wave of guilt, prostrates himself, and cries out: “God, before you I am nothing.” The cantor is so moved by this demonstration of piety that he throws himself to the oor beside the rabbi and cries: “God, before you I am nothing!” Watching this scene unfold from his seat in the rst row, the chairman of the synagogue’s trustees jumps up, ops down in the aisle, and cries: “God, before you I am nothing!” The rabbi nudges the cantor and, as they both look at the chairman, says: “So look who thinks he’s nothing!” The joke plays on the hubris of humility and is a part of the joke that humans play on themselves and others in everyday life and in our unconscious minds.