Rabbi, the man said, Please explain the Talmud to me.

Very well, he said. First, I will ask you a question. If two men climb


up a chimney and one comes out dirty, and one comes out clean,


which one washes himself?

The dirty one, answers the man.

No. They look at each other and the dirty man thinks he is clean


and the clean man thinks he is dirty, therefore, the clean man washes


himself. Now, another question. If two men climb up a chimney and one


comes out dirty, and one comes out clean, which one washes himself?

The man smiles and says, You just told me, Rabbi. The man who is clean


washes himself because he thinks he is dirty.

No, says the Rabbi. If they each look at themselves, the clean man knows


he doesnt have to wash himself, so the dirty man washes himself.

Now, one more question. If two men climb up a chimney and one comes


out dirty, and one comes out clean, which one washes himself?

I dont know, Rabbi. Depending on your point of view, it could be either


one.

Again the Rabbi says, No. If two men climb up a chimney, how could


one man remain clean? They both are dirty, and they both wash themselves.

The confused man said, Rabbi, you asked me the same question


three times and you gave me three different answers.


Is this some kind of a joke?

This is not a joke, my son. This is Talmud.