In a slalom race, the skier must pass through about 20
“gates” in the fastest time.
Well, it happened that a very Orthodox Yeshiva in Montreal had an exceptional skier among its students.. So fast, that in practice, with tzitzis streaming out behind, he had beaten the world record several times.
After first checking to make sure none of the men’s slalom races
would be on the Sabbath, he tried out for and made the Canadian Winter Olympic team. With his times in the trial heats, he was the favorite for an Olympic gold medal.
Came the day of the final, the crowd waited in anticipation.
The French champion sped down the course in 38 seconds.
The Swiss in 38.7 seconds.
The German in 37.8 seconds.
The Italian in 38.1 seconds.
Then came the turn of the Canadian Yeshiva “bocher.” The
crowd waited,
and waited………
Finally, after a full five minutes, he crossed the finish line.
“What happened to you?” screamed his coach when the skier finally arrived.
Breathing hard, the exhausted yeshiva student replied, “All right,
who’s the wise guy who put a mezuzah on every gate?”