There’s an old joke that a Jew always answers a question with a question. While this could be a source for that fun “only questions” game from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” it says something about the inquisitive nature of the Jewish people.
The Talmud, as an example, is filled with questions and rhetorical questions in response.
The Hebrew word for ‘answer’ is ‘teshuvah’ – which literally means ‘response’ or ‘return’ (it is also the word for ‘repentance’!). Sometimes the best response to a question is one that gets the original questioner to seek an answer for him/herself, i.e. through an interrogative response such as a question.
It can be annoying if done insensitively (don’t dodge questions to avoid them), but it can lead to great conversations if done with class!
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