Thursday, August 2, 2018

Everyone Who Hears Will Laugh With Me




וַתֹּ֣אמֶר שָׂרָ֔ה צְחֹ֕ק עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֱלֹהִ֑ים כָּל־הַשֹּׁמֵ֖עַ יִֽצְחַק־לִֽי׃
Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

May God bring you laughter 
This funny month of Adar. Because,
Having invented banana peels,
Ladders topped with teetering buckets of water,

Also dictators and children
And plagues and prophets
And villains hoisted on their own petards,
God appears to love a good pratfall.

And then there's that 
Magic comedy number three: 
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Those cut ups!

Sarah wanted an audience,
She loved a good spiel
Until her husband tried to kill their son, then
She stopped giggling. 

Did God also invent antisemites? Racists?
What about autocrats? Fascists?
Why is Purim funny?
C’mon, laugh with me.