Costumes are a big part of celebrating Purim, but not just because it’s a fun and playful way to celebrate. Purim asks us to think about putting on a mask to allow ourselves even just a day to reveal parts of ourselves that we don’t usually reveal. It’s counter-intuitive to think that precisely by putting on a mask we are revealing something about ourselves. But costumes allow us the opportunity to reveal hidden desires or truths, possibilities that we can only play out when pretending.
The theme of masking and unmasking is quite live in the Purim story. Vashti won’t reveal her body to king Achashveirosh. Esther hides her Jewish identity in order to reveal it later, saving the Jewish people. God’s name is never once mentioned in the Megillah, it is entirely hidden.
What does it mean to sometimes cover up and hide who we are, only to reveal something else? How does that help us be better and more authentic versions of ourselves?
When we flip things on their heads we allow ourselves a new perspective through which to evaluate who we are and what’s important to us. We are then able to look at reality from the outside, which we rarely have the opportunity to do.
I hope that you will join us on Purim evening, this coming Wednesday, for our Purim celebrations and Megillah reading at 6:30PM (all ages welcome and costumes encouraged!). But one of the lessons from Purim is that by seeing the benefit of changing our perspective, we realize that we don’t have to wait for Purim every year to gain the insights that masking and unmasking offer us.
Every week, through the value of Shabbat, we’re offered a little opportunity to change our thinking. Rather than being creators, for one day we stop and are part of creation. This shift in focus recenters us and reminds us what’s important. It allows us the space to reveal what’s most important to us, which can often become masked throughout the week.
