The Ten Commandments Revisited (by Mel Brooks) as We Celebrate Shavuot

The holiday of Shavuot starts tonight and continues tomorrow and Shabbat. In Israel it's only observed for one day. On Shavuot we commemorate the receiving of the Ten Commandments.

One of Mel Brooks' funniest bits is a scene from his 1981 film A History of the World: Part 1, in which Brooks, in the role of Moses, comes down from Mount Sinai carrying three tablets containing 15 commandments, only to drop one of the tablets, losing the last five commandments as the tablet shatters into bits.

The scene is short, and the third tablet containing the five lost commandments is visible for only a few seconds. We always assumed that the writing on the tablet was some random Hebrew letters, because we never got a good look at them.

But when we watched a PBS tribute to Brooks on which they played this clip, we were able to see it on a 55 inch screen in high definition. All we had to do to read the words on the tablets was to push the pause button. And there they were -- the long lost shattered five commandments.

Here's a translation of the five: You can interpret them any way you want -- that's what we've been doing to the surviving Ten Commandments for thousands of years. But our favorites are Lo Tatzkhik or Lo Titzkhak - obviously an inside joke by the Brooks crew, Lo Tikneh - perhaps the basis for not buying retail, and Lo Teshaber - irony of ironies - as the tablet fell to the ground and broke into tiny pieces.

11. Lo Ta'avor - You shall not pass.
12. Lo Tatzkhik - You shall not make people laugh or Lo Titzkhak - You shall not laugh.
13. Lo Tikneh - You shall not buy.
14. Lo Talunu - You shall not stay. (But the third letter may be a resh, which makes translation difficult.)
15. Lo Teshaber - You shall not break. 

We had posted this originally in 2013 and invited our readers to give their interpretations. You can read them here.

Here's the full clip. Enjoy!

We'll be observing Shavuot tomorrow and Shabbat. We'll be back Sunday with our usual mix. Chag Sameach and Shabbat shalom!

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Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part II" is Coming to Hulu in 2022 as an 8-Part Series

In 1991 Mel Brooks released "History of the World, Part I", one of the funniest movies of all time.  For 40 years we've been waiting for the sequel, "History of the World, Part II".

Chock full of winking and tongue-in-cheek Jewish references, the original film presented Brooks playing parodies of famous characters in historical events, from the Stone Age to the Inquisition.

This week Variety confirmed that Brooks has a deal with Hulu to write and executive produce the sequel as an eight-segment series, with production to begin in Spring 2022.

As Joe Otterson wrote in Variety,

Brooks, a comedy legend and EGOT winner, wrote and directed “History of the World, Part I” in addition to appearing onscreen in five different roles. Those included King Louis XVI and his piss boy doppleganger as well as the stand up philosopher Comicus. The film also featured stars like Gregory Hines, Dom De Luise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, and many more.

Brooks’ comedy films are consistently ranked among the best of all time, such as “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “The Producers,” and “Spaceballs.” He later adapted both “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein” as critically-acclaimed stage musicals. He has also produced several hit films, most notably David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man.”

Brooks has not revealed the historic events that he will be spoofing in the series, but we can get an idea by revisiting some scenes from the original, as seen in this trailer. Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Nostalgia: Mel Brooks as a Waiter at the Last Supper

One of Mel Brooks' funniest bits is a scene from his 1981 film A History of the World: Part 1, in which Brooks, in the role of a waiter, is assigned to serve a group attending a private supper in Jerusalem.

He enters the room to find Jesus and his disciples sitting around a long table. Oblivious to the background of the diners and unsuspecting of the significance of what would later be seen as a seminal event, he asks for their dinner orders and whether the diners want separate checks.

When Leonardo da Vinci enters to capture the Last Supper in the famous painting, Brooks manages to insert himself into the picture.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

   

#Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Delight: Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar and the Invention of Music

In Sefer Beresheet (Genesis 4:21) we read that Jubal (Yuval) was the ancestor of all who played the lyre, which is a stringed instrument, and the pipe. 

In his History of the World: Part 1, his hilarious take on world history, Mel Brooks came up with an alternate version of how music was created. 

Casting comedian Sid Caesar as an early caveman, Brooks has him accidentally discovering music by dropping a large rock on the foot of a fellow caveman and observing the "notes" that come out of his mouth as he screams with pain.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.