Shabbat Shalom will give you a breath of fresh air. This issue will make you laugh, I hope. The God who created such ridiculous beings, including myself (and forgive me, you), allows us to laugh. According to an ancient Egyptian legend, God created the world through seven explosions of laughter (another kind of "big bang.")
Religious people have not learned to laugh because they take themselves too seriously. And they take themselves seriously because they think of God as a serious person. They forget that it is this God who, through His sense of humor, created them as they are: funny. The more they take themselves seriously, the more they deny God's original intention to make them funny and, therefore, humble.
Laugh with Abraham, Isaac, and Sarah. Smile at the serious reflection of Qohelet's "Vanity of Laughter" and receive the response of the spiritual rabbi in touch with the Hebrew Scriptures and the life of his community. Follow the irony of the fastidious biblical scholar working on old manuscripts. You will discover that you are allowed to laugh with God. Laughter is required, like the Ten Commandments. Those who never laugh with God will ultimately kill "for" God. And God will regret having created them.
Laughter is the most universal language. We may not share the same music or the same words, sounds, stories, and beliefs. But we all share laughter. If only we would laugh more, we might draw closer to each other, understand each other better, enjoy each other, and love each other.
Jacques B. Doukhan, D.H.L., Th.D.
