L’Chaim

Cidu Bill on Jun 30th 2009

lchiam.png
“L’Chaim” (”To life”) is the traditional Jewish toast. That’s the easy part. But what’s the joke here?

Filed in Basketcase Comix, Bill Bickel, CIDU, comic strips, comics, humor | 29 responses so far

29 Responses to “L’Chaim”

  1. Arthur Jun 30th 2009 at 12:05 am 1

    It’s certainly incongrous for Death to drink to life.

  2. Arthur Jun 30th 2009 at 12:06 am 2

    Oops. Make that “incongruous”.

  3. Marshal Jun 30th 2009 at 12:23 am 3

    So what would be a good toast for Death?

    Irish Drinking Toast:
    May your glass be ever full,
    May the roof over your head be always strong,
    And may you be in heaven
    Half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.

    Good but I’m not sure it works for the Grim Reaper.

    .

  4. Shamare Jun 30th 2009 at 01:03 am 4

    What’s the joke? Surely you jest. L’Chaim means ‘to life,” and this a table-full of grim reapers.

  5. CIDU Bill Jun 30th 2009 at 01:12 am 5

    Shamare, pretty much every toast is similar in theme to “to life” — so why is this toast any worse than any other?

  6. Arthur Jun 30th 2009 at 01:15 am 6

    Marshal asked, “So what would be a good toast for Death?”
    Noting that this would be a toast from a reaper to a reaper, these come to mind:
    May your burdens be light.
    May your wit be as sharp as your scythe, and your scythe be as quick as your wit.

  7. Singapore Bill Jun 30th 2009 at 01:49 am 7

    Everyone seems to have misinterpreted this cartoon. It’s a table full of goth farmers, who are sharing a meal after a hard day in the fields. The farmer speaking to Ted is disappointed in Ted’s toast because the speaker has just returned from a trip to Canada. While in Canada, he discovered Caesars, the divine cocktail made with genuine Mott’s Clamato juice. The speaker was so taken with this fine libation that he brought a case of Clamato back with him and made Caesars for everyone. He considers Ted’s stock toast to be uninspired and not up to the awesomeness of the drink.

  8. Catlover Jun 30th 2009 at 07:20 am 8

    Nah. It’s a table of mohels at the Octomom’s house, and he was supposed to say “Kvatter”.

  9. Clix Jun 30th 2009 at 08:22 am 9

    You know, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I think Arthur has it right, it’s just the absurdity of the Reaper Family drinking ‘To Life’. You see they are just like us. I can’t come up with a Toastmaster worthy toast on the spur of the moment either.

  10. Dan Jun 30th 2009 at 08:28 am 10

    It IS L’Chaim, right? Not l’chiam.

  11. Elyrest Jun 30th 2009 at 09:03 am 11

    Bill there are many toasts that don’t just mean to life. The fact that a reaper is toasting to life is the joke and I think it’s funny. Much like Clix I can never think of a good toast at the right time.

    Iechyd da (’yachy da’) is a Welsh toast that means good health. The reapers need good health among themselves - that might work. Many others are to : honor, to you, luck, joy, cheer, victory, thanks etc.

  12. Rainey Jun 30th 2009 at 09:13 am 12

    My biggest obstacle to comprehending this strip was that I didn’t know that “L’chiam” meant ” to life”. (Thank you, Arthur and Shamare, for translating that.) After I knew that, I came up with 2 interpretations of this strip:
    1. It is simply the irony of grim reapers toasting life.
    2. It has something to do with reincarnation. After the grim reapers harvest spirits from bodies, the spirits are eventually placed in other bodies to eventually be harvested again and again forever.
    P.S. This reminds me of an old Mother Goose and Grimm strip in which the Grim Reaper was drinking Reincarnation Instant Breakfast.

  13. Fnord Jun 30th 2009 at 09:47 am 13

    I have no idea, but I think “Death Toast” would be a great name for a band.

  14. Ian Osmond Jun 30th 2009 at 10:35 am 14

    CDIU Bill: even if other toasts are, in general, to life, “l’chayim” is specifically, and literally, “to life.”

    Dan — as far as “L’Chaim” or “l’chiam” — doesn’t matter. It’s ACTUALLY לחיים; any English transliteration that sounds approximately right will do just fine. There’s no “official” spelling in English; it’s not an English word. If it comes close enough to be recognizable, it’s close enough.

    “חיים” is a word which simply means “life.” “ל” is a prefix which means “to” or “for”, in most of the senses which “to” and “for” are used in English: as a toast, “in the direction of”, “for the purpose of”.

  15. Cidu Bill Jun 30th 2009 at 11:13 am 15

    Of course you’re right, Dan. Obviously I must have been thinking of dyslexic toasts.

  16. Bill Donovan Jun 30th 2009 at 11:27 am 16

    Hmm, CIDU Bill; most toasts *would* seem to invoke celebration of life, or at least health (schol!).

    I like “cheers”. It’s not presumptuously begging the gods for extended life, or even good health. It seems to say, “No matter your circumstance, life is good if you can enjoy it while you can.”; and more subtly “It’s up to us to enjoy life. Nobody else can enjoy life for you.”

    But I ramble.

    Bill the Donovan, not the CIDU one…

  17. eeyore19 Jun 30th 2009 at 12:09 pm 17

    Googling “toasts to death” came up with a few results. Toasts like:

    Life is a jest and all things show it, I thought so once and now I know it.

    Here’s to death, because death will give me one last bier.

    Time cuts down all,
    Both great and small.
    (I can picture the reapers substituting the word “death” for “time” in that one.)

  18. Bob Jun 30th 2009 at 01:33 pm 18

    One of my favorite toasts, courtesy of Col. Blake, and not associated with life - “Here’s looking up your old address.”

  19. Donna F Jun 30th 2009 at 02:01 pm 19

    This has made me spend altogether too much time thinking of toasts that a party of Grim Reapers would accept.
    –”Through the lips and over the gums; watch out, stomach, here it comes!” (Although whether the Reapers have lips, gums, or stomachs is a whole ‘nother weird area.)
    –”Bottoms up!” (Ditto.)
    –”In heaven there is no beer; that’s why we drink it here.”
    Perhaps most appropriate of all:
    –”Here’s mud in your eye!”

  20. Andrew Jun 30th 2009 at 05:29 pm 20

    Here’s tae us, wha’s like us? Damned few, an’ they’re a’ deid!

  21. Pinny Jun 30th 2009 at 05:56 pm 21

    “To us and our good fortune!
    Be happy, be healthy, long life!
    And if our good fortune never comes,
    Here’s to whatever comes,
    Drink L’Chaim, to life!”
    -”Fiddler on the Roof”

  22. Pinny Jun 30th 2009 at 06:00 pm 22

    Maybe they are drinking the four cups of wine at the Pesach seder.

    [Interestingly, the seder is the only place I can think of in which there is a liturgical reference to the Angel of Death by that name, ie, at the in Chad Gadya.]

  23. Cindi Jun 30th 2009 at 07:02 pm 23

    This was just a LOL to me.

    I have simple tastes!

  24. Kamino Neko Jun 30th 2009 at 07:39 pm 24

    Wikipedia’s page on toasting has a fairly good list of common toasts.

    Health seems to be the single most common topic. Luck and happiness are also very common. Simple onomatopoeia seems to be strangely common, too.

  25. Zbicyclist Jun 30th 2009 at 11:42 pm 25

    I always drink “To Excess!”

    It’s a weak joke, but at least it’s short.

  26. Patrick Jul 1st 2009 at 01:19 am 26

    Thank you so very much, Bob. I’ve been saying “Here’s looking up your old address,” every time I raise a glass for the past 15 years or so and I can never remember who I stole that from. Thank you!

  27. Bob Jul 1st 2009 at 10:08 am 27

    Patrick - you’re very welcome.

  28. Pinny Jul 1st 2009 at 10:39 am 28

    I don’t get it…

    Can someone please explain the phrase, “Here’s looking up your old address?”

  29. Several of them Jul 2nd 2009 at 02:00 am 29

    Fnord is right, death toast would be a great name for a band.

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