Humor Heals: Netzach in Gevurah

Shai Under Water With Goggles

Tonight begins the 11th Day of the Omer (Arpil 30 - May 1, 2008).

May that part of me that is broken in Netzach in Gevurah be healed on this day.

Netzach, forever, endurance, in Gevurah, limitation, boundaries. Humor is the salve for the long haul. Not taking things too seriously, being able to play, rif, have fun, crack jokes—all these things lower blood pressure.

The holiday of Purim plays the important role in the Jewish calendar for a day where everything is upside down. "Drink until you can't tell the difference between Haman (the villain) and Mordechai (the hero)." In a religion that takes so much so seriously (what religion doesn't?), Purim is a safety valve against the excesses of our collective self-importance and the artifices we've created, religious and otherwise.

Purim is a whole day once a year. But we can have little Purim as a part of every day.

On this night of Netzach in Gevurah, may I re-commit myself to silliness.