Tonight starts the Jewish holiday of Purim. I admit that Purim is one of my least favorite holidays. I am especially not a fan of the wearing costumes portion of Purim. I have never worn a costume for Purim. Although Purim is different from Halloween, it has enough overlap that it has a Halloween-esque vibe. That is what makes writing this blog entry ironic. I am not the costume-wearing type, yet I am curious to see if I can find deeper meaning to the practice.
Hiddenness. The idea of being hidden is a major motif in Purim. Not once is G-d's name mentioned in the Book of Esther. It is commonly understood in Jewish tradition that G-d performed His miracles in a hidden fashion, as opposed to a combination of coincidences and good timing. Esther also conceals her Jewish identity. Much like G-d hides Himself in the Purim story, we use costumes as a method to hide ourselves while celebrating the salvation of the Jewish people.
Minimizing shame. One of the four mitzvahs on Purim is to give money or food to at least two needy people. On this day, Jews do not scrutinize almsgiving. Jews simply give, no questions asked (Talmud, Bava Metziah, 78b). Since poor people did not want to be known as paupers, the custom arose for them to wear masks to hide their identity and preserve their dignity (Lubavitcher Rebbe).
Inevitability of non-Jewish influences. I have met Jews who think that for centuries, Judaism has existed inside in a vacuum. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jews have interacted with non-Jews and incorporated various aspects of non-Jewish life. The Jewish concept of the afterlife (Ha'Olam HaBa) was likely a result of from Zoroastrian or Hellenistic influences, whereas the Jewish concept of reincarnation were likely influenced by non-Jewish religions. The Chanukah practices of the dreidel, latkes, gift-giving, and the song Maoz Tzur all had non-Jewish influences. The post-Passover practice of making a challah in the shape of a key mimics a Christian practice.
Costumes on Purim is no exception. Masquerades date back to the Roman era. The practice of wearing costumes during Carnival started in the 12th century. In contrast, the practice of wearing costumes on Purim was not first explicitly mentioned until two centuries later (i.e., until the early 14th century) by Rabbi Kalonymus ben Kalonymus. It also came with some opposition, either because it could violate the Torah prohibition of cross-dressing or because the costumes could be viewed as a form of debauchery that could lead to frivolity. In spite of the opposition, it ended being a widely accepted practice. Rather than look down on this piece of history, Jews should embrace the value of integration, which in this case means interacting with non-Jews (and even taking certain aspects of non-Jewish life) while still maintaining a distinct Jewish identity.
Rags to riches. At the beginning of the story, Mordechai was fasting and was wearing a sackcloth (Esther 1:4). At the end, Mordechai is dressed in a king's robe (Esther 6:7-11) and took Haman's position (Esther 10:3). Queen Vashti was obsessed with beauty and good looks (Esther 1:11). In contrast, Mordechai shows that our character and having righteousness prevailing over evil is more important than external appearances. The costumes remind us that appearances are deceptive and that true meaning is often hidden below the surface.
Embracing the topsy-turvy nature of life. There is a phrase in the Purim story that captures this concept well: ונהפוך הוא, or "and it was turned upside-down" (Esther 9:1). It seemed as if the Jews were going to be wiped out (Esther 3:13), but it was the Jews' enemies that were (Esther 9:1-2). Haman tried to hang Moredechai, but it was Haman that ended up being hung at the gallows (Esther 7:10). What was meant to be a day of destruction ended up being a day of redemption. As philosopher Albert Camus would point out, the world is an absurd one that often cannot be readily or easily explained. Wearing costumes could be seen as an embrace of the absurdity that is life, or at the very least, that life comes with unpredictability and elements of surprise that no one could see coming.
An act of liberation. Much like the Esther story has multiple turnarounds, wearing costumes allows Jews to be someone different and subvert what is expected for a day, especially since costumes are an individual expression of creativity. To quote author Emuna Braverman, "We spend our lives very defended, working so hard not to be vulnerable.....Somehow, wearing a costume frees us. We are no longer our everyday selves bound by those self-imposed everyday rules. We are someone different , someone who is open to life, to the gifts and challenges the Almighty sends us, to seeing the good in them, to recognizing it's all a gift."
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