Laughter: a double edged sword. Positive humor engenders euphoria; negative, can humiliate. Triggered by the COVID quarantine, Therapist and Author Annette Poizner revisited the sitcoms of her youth – the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. Looking through the lens of the ancient Kabbalah, Poizner then performed an inquiry into laughter, examining the mystical infrastructure of this every day phenomenon and getting insight into the how, why and what of funny.

Can we find the root of all humor in the 'Knock, Knock' jokes of yesteryear? Or even further back, with the 'Peekabo' we play when interacting with babies? What is the reversal that characterizes the punchline of a joke? Does that reversal correspond with other aspects of day-to-day life? Where do we go when we laugh and what can we learn from that destination – about ourselves, life and transcendence?

Reaching into mystical teachings, we will find a frame that allows us to understand Mary Tyler Moore and her unique accomplishments, as well as the women's movement and its place in the cosmic dance between Masculine and Feminine, a dance that has its origins in Genesis. The humor of a handful of funny Jews who brought Mary, Rhoda and friends to life will provide fodder, letting us analyze and access the Divinity that rests at the core of the laughter mechanism.

We'll consider how to prime that mechanism, ensuring its optimal and healthy use, reducing toxic forms of laughter and helping readers access the inner mansion, a world of unity which makes life funny - but also meaningful. In what promises to be an expose in an area of life rarely unpacked for its hidden meaning and metaphor, join the author for a look behind the screen, pun intended. What starts as a quest for euphoria leads us simultaneously on a journey to self, to the oceanic consciousness where everything connects to everything and finally, to nothing at all, your ultimate and best destination. Who knew all of this and more occurs in that ephemeral moment when a punchline does its magic.