Of all the eminent philosophers of Chelm [Jewish town in Eastern Europe, renowned for the foolishness of its inhabitants—a Yiddish equivalent of Gotham; JW], the only one who had never been confounded by a difficult question was the extraordinary thinker, Lemach. A group of students came to him one day, seeking to best him with their most puzzling riddles.
"Tell us, O great Lemach," said the spokesman, "why does a dog wag its tail?" "You really should not bring me such simple questions," Lemach answered. "The dog is stronger than its tail. Otherwise the tail would wag the dog."
Another student asked, "Why does the hair on a man's head turn gray sooner than his beard?" "It is because the hair on his head is twenty years older than his beard."
Again he was questioned: "Why is the sea salty?" "Because," replied Lemach without hesitation, "so many salty herrings live in it."
Finally the students asked the one question which they were sure he could not answer. "All our lives," explained the spokesman, "we have noticed that whenever a dog passes water he holds up one leg. Pray will you tell us, why is this?" "Surely you know the answer to that!" exclaimed Lemach. "It started thousands of years ago when a dog stopped at a tree to relieve his bladder. Suddenly a storm arose and a bolt of lightning felled the tree. The crashing trunk struck the little dog and killed it. Ever since then," concluded Lemach, "whenever a dog relieves himself he holds up the tree with his leg so it won't fall on him."
—Encyclopedia of Jewish Humor From Biblical Times to the Modern Age, ed. Henry D. Spalding (NY: Jonathan David, 1979), p. 130
