A Jewish man is being knighted by the Queen of England. It’s a huge honor, and he’s carefully briefed on the ceremony. When he kneels before the Queen, he’s supposed to recite a short phrase in Latin to complete the knighting.
So he practices. And practices. Weeks of practice. Latin flashcards. Saying it in the mirror. Saying it in the car. By the time the ceremony arrives, he’s sure he has it down perfectly.
The big moment comes. He kneels before the Queen… the sword touches his shoulder… and suddenly his mind goes completely blank. The Latin? Gone.
Panicking, he blurts out the only non-English phrase that pops into his head from childhood:
“Ma nishtana ha-laila ha-zeh mi-kol ha-leilot?”
The Queen pauses, clearly puzzled. She turns to her advisor and whispers:
“Why is this knight different from all other knights?”
