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Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy on Hanukkah Traditions

Saturday Night LiveSNL
SKETCH-O-VISION
A VERY GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.

The setup

Recent bar mitzvah boy Jacob joins Weekend Update to explain Hanukkah, reading a stiff prepared speech that keeps circling back to his Xbox 360.

Community rating

– / 10

The premise

Here’s the bit.

Seth Meyers welcomes Jacob (Vanessa Bayer), his podiatrist's son and a recent bar mitzvah boy, to explain Hanukkah traditions. Jacob hands over athlete's-foot ointment from his dad, then reads a rigid prepared speech even as Seth keeps telling him they can just talk like buddies. His tour of dreidel, the menorah and holiday gifts wanders into family stories, from a cousin's peanut allergy to a brother grounded for eight days and a long list of thank-yous, and keeps arriving at the verdict that none of it beats his Xbox 360. Thanking Seth, who is soon leaving the show, Jacob grows teary; Seth reassures him he can still talk to co-anchor Cecily Strong, though the shy boy can barely face her.

The funny people

Meet the cast. 3

Say it with us

Highly quotable.

There's gambling, high stakes, a spinning top, pretty fun. But it ain't no Xbox 360.

My family used to play for peanut shells until my cousin Jeremy got an allergy and we had to go to the emergency room.

Even after I leave, you can still talk to Cecily.

A little extra

Notes from the archive.

This was Jacob's sixth of ten appearances listed by SNL Archives (2011 to 2017). It aired during Seth Meyers' final season at the Weekend Update desk, which he shared with Cecily Strong; Meyers left SNL early in 2014 to host Late Night.

ScriptEnglish · 17 turns

Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.

  1. 00:00

    Seth Meyers

    This week marked the end of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. Here to explain some Hanukkah traditions is my podiatrist son and recent bar mitzvah boy, Jacob.

  2. 00:13

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    Yes, Seth. My dad said to give you this ointment for your athlete's foot.

  3. 00:17

    Seth Meyers

    Okay, well, thank you Jacob. So did you have a good Hanukkah this year?

  4. 00:22

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah has many traditions. One of the oldest is playing the game of dreidel. There's gambling, high stakes, a spinning top, pretty fun. But it ain't no Xbox 360.

  5. 00:47

    Seth Meyers

    Jacob, once again, you don't have to come out here and make a rehearsed speech like at your bar mitzvah. We can just talk like buddies.

  6. 00:53

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    Each Each player spins the dreidel to win money, chocolate gelt, or sometimes raisins. My family used to play for peanut shells until my cousin Jeremy got an allergy and we had to go to the emergency room. room

  7. 01:11

    Seth Meyers

    oh that sounds scary

  8. 01:12

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    wasn't it very scary

  9. 01:14

    Seth Meyers

    was he okay jeremy was he okay your cousin jeremy

  10. 01:22

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    each night of hanukkah we light the menorah to remember the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days which is how long my brother ethan was grounded for calling his social studies teacher a fascist. Seriously, But seriously, Ethan, even though you threw my tevas into the pool at Boca Raton, you'll always be my cool older brother. but But it ain't no Xbox 360!

  11. 02:01

    Seth Meyers

    So you really love Xbox, huh Jacob? You know, because it's funny, I have an Xbox too.

  12. 02:06

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    Then

  13. 02:07

    part.

  14. 02:10

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    there's my favorite Hanukkah tradition, the presents, which which reminds me, I I want want to thank everyone for the beautiful and generous Hanukkah gifts. My Uncle Morris for the lift tickets to Shigalowf. My neighbors, the Paglios, for the signed Yankees baseball cards. My Bubby for making the best potato latkes in the world, even though my mother says it's getting to be too much work for her.

  15. 02:43

    Seth Meyers

    Very nice. Very nice of her.

  16. 02:46

    Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

    and I'd like to thank you too Seth because I'm sure that you're very busy and I don't know that I'll see you for a little while

  17. 02:55

    Seth Meyers

    Jacob are you crying okay even after I leave you can still talk to Cecily he's a little he's a little scared of girls BARBITSA VOLDEGUEV, EVERYBODY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING ON.

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