Ma’agal Launch + Welcome Back!

For thousands of years, Jews have looked at unbearable realities and thought, “Okay, but what if this were funny?”

No festival captures this more than Purim, where laughter functions not just as entertainment, but as strategy. We remember our near-annihilation in Persia by donning ridiculous costumes, throwing extravagant parties, and—if you really want to follow the halachah—leaning heavily into the alcohol.

In this shiur, we’ll explore the transgressive power of humour, play, and disguise in Jewish textual tradition. We’ll learn from two of Purim’s literary heroines, Esther and Vashti, who offer different models of challenging authority, alongside other moments in Jewish history where laughter proved to be the most powerful response.

We’re delighted to welcome special guest Asc Prof. David Slucki, who will share examples of how humour has helped shape modern Jewish identity, adding a modern lens to our broader exploration of laughter as a tool of survival, subversion,…