Parshas Vayeira: 5786

“And Sarah laughed inside, saying, after I’ve withered I should have soft skin? And my husband is old.” (Bereishis 18:12)

The theme of laughter recurs too many times in parshas Vayeira to be coincidental. When Sarah heard the angels herald that she’d bear a son at her advanced age, she responded by laughing.

Lot’s sons-in-law laughed when he warned them about Sedom’s imminent destruction. Sarah’s decision to send Yishmael and Hagar away was cemented when she observed him metzacheik — mocking. (Rabbi Ozer Alport, Parsha Potpourri)

ONn a national level and a personal one, getting through each day requires a sense of humor. Otherwise, how do you explain that the Houthis keep bombing, but we’re still here? Seriously? Clearly Hashem is allowing us the last laugh. And how did my freezer break down two days before Succos, and then my washing machine the day after Succos? C’mon, seriously? Yes it’s a very serious matter; that’s what cracks me up.

Further on in the parshah it says that when Yitzchak was born, his father gave him a name that means, “He will laugh,” and his mother remarked: “Hashem has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”

I’m blessed with a healthy sense of humor that allows me to see the comedy in all aspects of life. It’s not the cynical wit of leitzanus. It’s humor that stems from seeing how apparent it is that Hashem is in charge because otherwise, seriously…?

Take last week. I pulled up to the bagel shop and ran in to pick up my prepaid order. I was out of the car for approximately three minutes. I came back to the parking lot to discover that someone had sideswiped my car, bending in the side fender. To their credit they left a phone number. They must’ve written really quickly and then bolted, because like I said, I was away for three minutes…. It made me smile to think about the perpetrator dashing away as I came out with my bagel breakfast. These things happen. I wasn’t even sure I’d bother having it fixed, because time is money.