Rabbi Steve Cohen
Friday, January 9, 2015
An excerpt from Rabbi Cohen’s sermon
“Amidst all of the articles and comments I read yesterday and today, one comment in particular left me thinking. It just appeared on a long thread of comments, saying “I believe that nothing is sacred; or rather, that nothing sacred is made less so by a joke.” I do not know who wrote it, but it stopped me and made me think. First of all, the writer began to say one thing and then ended saying something very different. He began to say “I believe that nothing is sacred”…a statement which leaves me feeling empty and cold. But then he changed to say “or rather, nothing sacred is made less so by a joke.”
“This I think is our old Jewish wisdom about the sacred and humor.
“Ever since Abraham and Sarah named their son “Isaac,” which means “laughing,” we have understood that humor smashes idols and that the true God is not hurt in any way by a joke. On the contrary, God is found in the surprise, the completely unexpected truth that is revealed when we burst out in laughter.”