Humor

Episode 3 · September 29th, 2017 · 26 mins 15 secs

About this Episode

The upcoming holiday of Sukkot is known as z'man simkhateynu, the season of our joy. In keeping with that theme, Rabbi Seth Goldstein joins us for a special episode on humor. Whether opening us to laughter and joy, or easing the way in difficult times, humor can be a powerful path toward resilience.

Bonus feature! Check out Rabbi Deborah Brin's video on Laughter Yoga at Vimeo.

Find out more about the show at About, and learn about our theme song at Theme Song.

Subscribe by Email

This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

Support Hashivenu

Episode Links

  • 4 Rituals Acknowledging Humor from Ritualwell.org — In honor of the podcast Hashivenu, we are highlighting rituals that have sustained the Jewish people throughout history. In the third episode, we learn about how humor offers a tool to lighten the darkness. Here are 4 unique rituals which acknowledge humor, recommended by Ritualwell.
  • Carpooling with Rabbi — Seth Goldstein's video series. "When Kirsten was the Community Engagement Coordinator at my congregation, she lived just a few blocks from my son’s school. After I did the morning drop off I needed to pass by her house on the way to work. So I offered to give her a ride…"
  • Torah tl;dr — Seth Goldstein's micro-Torah-podcast. "Torah tl;dr injects a little wisdom into your day, giving you a highlight of the Torah portion in 60 seconds. New podcasts every Friday, just in time for Shabbat."
  • "The Spanish Inquisition" from Mel Brooks' "History of the World: Part I" — See the movie segment referred to in this episode.
  • Wikipedia article on Jewish Humor — Jewish humour is the long tradition of humour in Judaism dating back to the Torah and the Midrash from the ancient Middle East, but generally refers to the more recent stream of verbal and often anecdotal humour of Ashkenazi Jewry which took root in the United States over the last hundred years, including in secular Jewish culture...Jewish humor, while diverse, favors wordplay, irony, and satire, and its themes are highly anti-authoritarian, mocking religious and secular life alike.
  • Laughter Yoga with Rabbi Deborah Brin
  • Rabbi Deborah Brin's homepage