Talmudic lessons in ‘The Simpsons’

The animated characters of Bart and Lisa Simpson are unlikely to be front of mind when considering the Talmud, but in one classic episode of The Simpsons, the siblings turn to Jewish texts to help reunite Krusty the Clown with his rabbi father. 

At Limmud Johannesburg, Rabbi Dan Slipakoff, from Temple Israel in Boston and a staunch The Simpsons fan, used this classic season-three episode, “Like Father, Like Clown”, to examine how the cartoon series incorporates Jewish tradition in its storytelling. 

What begins as a light-hearted attempt to reconcile Krusty with his father soon draws on Talmudic teachings about honouring parents, forgiveness, and the importance of bringing people back together. 

Slipakoff drew on the writings of Rabbi Noah Gradofsky, another fan of The Simpsons, who had a passing idea to turn an episode into a mock page of Talmud. 

“Deep Simpsons fandom has a lot of similarities with Jewish tradition. Both are shared languages for those who speak it: you can quote a chapter and verse to your friends, and they know exactly what you’re talking about,” Slipakoff said. “You don’t need to clarify further. It has a lot to teach us. And so, this idea of this inverted midrash is to go outside in, to see a piece of art, of culture, and say, ‘Ah, I can connect this to Torah’, thereby enhancing an appreciation of both.” 

In the episode of The Simpsons, viewers are introduced to the idea that the rather adult clown is descended from a long line of rabbis and has a lot of religious trauma. 

This all starts when, at the Simpsons’ dinner table, Krusty is asked to say grace and he surprises the family by reciting Hamotzi. He reveals that his real name is not Krusty the Clown but rather Herschel Krustofsky. 

He says that when he was a child, he told his father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, that he wanted to be a clown. His father disapproved and, after discovering his stage persona, shunned him, and they haven’t spoken in 25 years. 

“This is our origin story here. Krusty is a clown. His father doesn’t approve of him being a clown. They are separated,” Slipakoff said. “If you’re taking Rabbi Krustofsky’s arguments, he preaches obedience. Krusty got himself into this situation by not following his father’s commands and not respecting his father.” 

The Simpson children take it upon themselves to confront Rabbi Krustofsky and try to reunite the two. They use three passages from the Talmud to try and break through to him, to no avail. 

“In 1991, on prime-time Fox TV, The Simpsons was becoming one of the biggest shows in the world, and Bart Simpson was quoting the Talmud on prime-time television. Unbelievable. I think it goes over a lot of Jews’ heads, and definitely over the heads of most of the non-Jewish community. But it’s really something to marvel at,” said Slipakoff. 

However, what breaks through to Rabbi Krustofsky is a quote about the Jewish people from American singer and actor Sammy Davis Jnr. 

“The first time, the rabbi slams the door in Bart’s face. The second time, they’re in the shvitz, a public place, so he can’t simply ignore them. The third time is at the bris, which isn’t the right setting. But the fourth time, he actually sits down to play chess with Bart. That’s an open invitation to engage,” said Slipakoff. 

“I think the setting of the scene shows a softening, or at least an openness, towards them. And for the first time, they’re bringing him texts that he isn’t familiar with. Before, they’re trying to out-Talmud a rabbi. Now, they’re bringing him new material and forcing him to sit, think about it, and recognise that it’s something he hasn’t considered before.” 

Eventually, the father and son reconnect and sing a song. 

Slipakoff said that throughout the series, though Krusty is filled with self-loathing and has many vices, in some sentimental moments, his Jewishness comes out. 

“At the end of the day, Krusty is human first and Jewish second. He drinks, and he gambles, and he’s a lecher. And in moments where he’s doing good things, Judaism does come out just a little bit,” he said. “And his Judaism doesn’t save him from those pitfalls.”