From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Tuesday, September 23, 1997 12:19 AM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Joke: The Pope and the Jew



>From     CherDar@aol.com
To:       heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:  The Pope and the Jew


Eddie,

I just HAD to send this one to ya...


>
>  About a century or two ago, the Pope decided that all the Jews had to
> leave Rome.  Naturally there was a big uproar from the Jewish
> community.  So the Pope made a deal. He would have a religious 
> debate with a member of the Jewish community. If the Jew won, the 
> Jews could stay. If the Pope  won, the Jews would leave.
> 
> The Jews realized that they had no choice. They looked around for a
> champion who could defend their faith, but no one wanted to
> volunteer.  It was too  risky. So they finally  picked an old man named 
> Moishe who spent his life sweeping up after people to represent them. 
> Being old and poor, he had less to lose, so he agreed.  He asked only 
> for one addition to the debate. Not being used to saying very much as 
> he cleaned up around the settlement, he asked that neither side be 
> allowed to talk. The pope agreed.
> 
>  The day of the great debate came. Moishe and the Pope sat opposite
>  each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed
>  three  fingers.
> 
> Moishe looked back at him and raised one finger.
> 
> The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head.
> 
> Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat.
> 
> The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Moishe pulled 
> out an  apple.
> 
>  The Pope stood up and said, 'I give up. This man is too good. The
>  Jews can stay.'
> 
>  An hour later, the cardinals were all around the Pope asking him what
>  happened.  The Pope said: 'First I held up three fingers to represent
>  the Trinity.
>
>  He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was
>  still one God common to both our religions.  Then I waved my finger 
>  around me to show him, that God was all around us. He responded 
>  by pointing to the ground, showing that God was also right here with us. 
>  I pulled out the wine and the wafer to show that God absolves us from 
>  our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin. He had 
> an answer for everything.
>  What could I do?'
> 
>  Meanwhile, the Jewish community had crowded around Moishe, amazed
>  that this old, almost feeble-minded man had done what all their scholars
>  had insisted was impossible! . 'What happened?' they asked.  'Well,' said
>  Moishe, 'First he said to me that the Jews had three days to get out
>  of  here. I told him that not one of us was leaving. Then he told me that
>  this whole city would be cleared of Jews. I let him know that we were
>  staying right here.'
> 
> 'And then?' asked a woman.
> 
>  'I don't know,' said Moishe. 'He took out his lunch and I took out
>  mine.'
>
>
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