BS”D
COSTUME
CONSIDERED: PARSHAT TEZAVEH, ZACHOR, PURIM
Shira Smiles shiur
2020/5780
Adapted by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Tezaveh includes the description
of the vestments of the Kohein Gadol that he will wear lechovod uletiforet/for
glory and for splendor. How do the clothes one wears reflect glory and
splendor, and how then do the disguises and costumes one wears (or observes) on
Purim reflect a person and his mission? Further, while other holidays must
reflect simcha/joy, it is only Purim that is so closely associated with
overflowing joy. If costumes are an integral part of that joy, what should our
mindset be when we wear or see people in costume on Purim?
Costumes have the ability both to conceal
and to reveal. One of the mitzvoth of Purim is to give to the needy. In fact,
we are instructed to give to anyone who stretches out his hand to ask for a
donation without asking him any questions. In this respect, notes Rabbi
Strickoff, the costume conceals the identity of the one asking for help,
thereby saving him embarrassment.
Appearances play an important role in the
Purim saga. The events begin unfolding with Queen Vashti refusing to appear
before King Achashverosh, presumably, according to the Medrash, because she had
been stricken with leprosy, transforming her beauty to the grotesque, writes
Rabbi Eliyahu Cohen. The saga climaxes when Mordechai leaves the palace, having
successfully rewritten the decrees against the Jews, dressed in royal robes
reminiscent of the priestly garments. From earlier standing in the palace
courtyard in sackcloth and ashes, his appearance was now transformed to majesty
and splendor.
Secrecy, concealment and disguise play an
integral role throughout the Purim narrative. Among those that Rabbi Strickoff
lists, the most familiar is that Esther did not reveal who she was. But
Mordechai also kept secrets. The Persians did not know that Mordechai, as the
head of the Sanhedrin, understood seventy languages. That’s why Bigson and
Seresh discussed their plan to assassinate Achashverosh in Mordechai’s
presence. How about Haman’s daughter mistakenly thinking Haman was Mordechai,
as Haman, dressed in servant’s clothing, led Mordechai around Shushan on the
royal steed? Certainly, throughout these events God’s face and presence was
concealed as He orchestrated events behind the scenes. As we try to emulate
Hashem, we too conceal our identity behind masks and costumes.
The very name of the Megillah alludes to
the concealed messages within. Esther is not only the name of our Jewish queen,
but more importantly reflects the concealed hand of Hashem, as He warned us in
the Torah about our transgressions and said, “Haster astir/I will
certainly conceal My face from them.” But it is our job to reveal that hidden
hand of Hashem in these seemingly random events of Purim just as we must
recognize Hashem’s hand in everything.
Most in the heavenly spheres is also
concealed from us, but on the night of Purim, teaches us Rabbi Gamliel
Rabinowitz, during the reading of the Megillah, one of the highest heavenly
gates is open and ready to receive our prayers.
An additional aspect of Purim is the
custom of drinking until one loses the ability to discern between blessed is
Mordechai and cursed is Haman, much as masks conceal identity. We find no other
holiday associated with salvation, notes Rabbi Gladstein in Magid Horokiya where
we are to curse the evil and bless the righteous, to curse Pharaoh and bless
Moshe on Pesach for example. Drinking itself thus causes one’s usual manner of
conduct to be concealed, writes Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz in Tiv Hamoadim.
When a miracle outside nature occurs, it
is easy to recognize the hand of God. However, when everything happens within
what seems to be the natural course of events, it is more difficult to
recognize that God is choreographing the events that will lead to our
salvation, both personal and national. That is why our acceptance of the Torah
at Purim is so powerful. At Sinai we had come from a miraculous exodus from
Egypt preceded by plagues that overturned nature. It was easy to see God and
accept Him and His Torah as the guiding force in our lives. At Purim. God’s
hand was hidden. With Mordechai’s help, we recognized God’s concealed hand in
our redemption. As Rabbi Tatz explains so beautifully, when one is at a
distance and doesn’t want to be recognized, one needs no mask; the distance
itself prevents recognition. However, when someone is nearby and doesn’t want
to be recognized, he dons a disguise and a mask. As Hashem masked His role in
our Purim salvation behind the scenes, making all appear as royal intrigue, so
do we don masks and costumes on Purim to remind us how close Hashem is to us
even when we are unaware of His presence.
From a simple reading of the text of the
Megillah, one would expect Haman’s animosity to be directed strictly at
Mordechai who had refused to bow to him as second to the king. However, since
his animosity was directed at all the Jews, that animosity most go deeper and
precede the events of the Megillah. In fact, continues Rabbi Strickhoff this
hatred goes back to the ancestors of Mordechai and Haman when a disguise was
first used. Yaakov, our Patriarch dressed in goat skin and in Esau’s cloak to receive
the blessing Yitzchak had intended for Esau, Haman’s ancestor. But, history
validates that Yaakov was the appropriate recipient of the blessings, becoming
the constant moral compass of the world. Nevertheless, Esau’s descendants want
to regain the favorite son/nation status, adds Rabbi Gladstein in Magid
Harakiya.
Rabbi Gladstein develops this idea
further. The blessing that Yitzchak then gave Esau included that when Bnei
Yisroel will veer off the right path, then Esau will be superior. Haman
developed his plan to annihilate the Jews after the Jews had participated in
the feasts of Achashverosh. Haman felt the time was appropriate, that Bnei
Yisroel had indeed lost sight of their mission. The time for his ascendency had
come.
The decree to kill the Jews was secretly
sent out, but Mordechai knew of it. “Vayizak za’aka gedolah umarah/And
he cried a loud and bitter cry,” literally echoing the cry of Esau to his
father Yitzchak. In response, Yitzchak blessed Esau with the blessing that
Haman now used against Bnei Yisroel. Rabbi Gladstein suggests that this cry was
to Yitzchak, begging him to intervene on behalf of the Jews, to respond to us
as he had responded to Esau so many generations earlier. When Mordechai is
later dressed in the royal robes at Haman’s expense, those original blessings
of Yitzchak were confirmed and validated, and Mordechai was recognized as “a
lord to his kinsmen.”
Rabbi Gladstein traces these connections
in the Torah through Rivkah Imenu back to the beginning of time to Adam
Harishon. When Rivkah was pregnant with the twins, she sought out prophetic
advice and was told that the two nations that would emerge from these twins
would be in constant conflict. When one would be rising, the other would fall.
Never would the two be on an equal status. Therefore, the terminology of
falling is repeatedly invoked as the Megillah unfolds.
As the name of Esther is alluded to in the
Torah, so do we also have an allusion to Haman. After Adam sinned, Hashem asks
him, “Hamin ha’etz/Did you eat of the tree…?”
That same confusion, doubt and evil that eating of the forbidden tree brought
was the hallmark of Amalek, Haman’s nation. Hashem then cursed Man with ten
curses, later countered by the ten blessings Yitzchak bestowed on Yaakov whose
descendents would rectify Adam’s sin by accepting the Torah.
It is this battle between Yaakov and Esau
that plays out in every generation, and therefore every year we declare that
indeed Haman/Amalek is cursed and Mordechai/Israel is blessed. We put on
different clothes to remind us of the original sin of Adam and its
rectification through Yaakov. The curse of mankind was rectified using deceit
similar to the deceit the serpent used against Chava. When we also use
disguises, we must remind ourselves that our mission is to live up to the
vision of Yitzchak Avinu when he gave the blessings to Yaakov.
Although Yaakov fled Esau’s wrath
immediately after he received the blessings, he came face to face with that
wrath again upon his return. Even before Yaakov met the physical Esau, Yaakov
fought Esau’s guardian angel alone on the banks of the Yabok River, writes
Rabbi Rothberg in Modia Labinah. Although Yaakov prevailed, Esau injured
Yaakov’s leg, actualized only a short time later when all of Yaakov’s children
bowed and bent their legs to Esau. But Binyamin had not yet been born and
therefore did not bow. Therefore his descendent, Mordechai, refused to bow to
Esau’s descendent, Haman. Mordechai, by refusing to capitulate to Esau,
silenced forever Esau’s cry that the blessings were stolen from him. The teshua/salvation
that Mordechai and Esther brought about would thereby be lanetzach/eternal.
The era of Esther was the end of the battle of that night; she is ayelet
Hashachar/the morning star.
The Bnei Yissaschar puts a unique
twist into the custom of costumes. The Bnei Yissaschar notes that the threat of
Purim was not a real threat, but only the appearance of a threat, for the Jews
would not be exterminated. Why did Hashem impose this pseudo threat on Bnei
Yisroel when it was not meant to be realized? The Bnei Yissaschar
explains that this was Hashem’s response to Bnei Yisroel’s earlier bowing down
to the idols of Nebuchadnezzar. Although they appeared to be worshiping these
gods, the hearts of the people remained steadfastly with Hakodosh Boruch Hu,
only bowing in fear of death. On Purim, too, Hashem only appeared to abandon
Bnei Yisroel, but His “heart” was always with us.
Both the night that Yitzchak bestowed the
blessings and the night that sleep evaded the King/king were nights of the
Pesach Seder. Both Esau and Haman had their downfall on Pesach, writes the Sharvit
Hazahov, Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shcehter. Yes, on that first night Yaakov wore a
disguise to appear externally to be Esau, but his voice remained true to
Yaakov. On this basis, some people choose to dress up as reshaim/evil
people while proclaiming their true identities as God fearing Jews. When we
take off these garments, we reveal our true essence.
But sometimes clothes instead of
camouflage are helpful in informing us of another’s identity. Rabbi
Goldwicht points out in Asufat Maarachot that only people, not animals,
wear clothes. Human beings are both physical and spiritual. Without clothes,
one remains in his purely physical realm, like an animal. When one dons
clothing, one is highlighting his unique identity as a person, whether it is
his role and mission, as a uniform, her unique personality via her style, or
special occasion wear. The outer clothing helps express the divine essence
within the physical body.
When Mordechai left from before the
king, he was dressed in royal robes, signifying his new status. Rabbi
Strickoff, citing the Bnei Yissaschar, suggests a deeper meaning to
these garments. Both Mordechai and Esther donned the royalty of the Shecinah,
of God’s Presence descending upon them, providing them with a source of
strength. At Sinai, when the Jews accepted the Torah, they too were enveloped
in royalty as the Shechinah enveloped them. When we reaccepted the Torah
on Purim, it was only fitting that we be again enveloped in the Shechinah.
To commemorate this reacceptance of Torah, we too “dress up.”
It is with this idea that modes of dress
is included as one of the three things Bnei Yisroel did not change while in
Egypt and through which they merited redemption. Their modest clothing
maintained their spiritual essence and connection to Hashem throughout their
enslavement.
In a similar vein, we change our clothes
for different purposes and different roles in our lives. The priestly garments
reflect his role in God’s service. This sentiment is reflected in the special
clothes we designate as our Shabbat clothing symbolizing the spiritual
dimension we enter on Shabbat, just as the priest enters a new dimension when
he wore the garments of his service.
Let us return to Adam and the first
garment. After Adam and Chava sinned, they realized they were naked and became
ashamed. Hashem returned their dignity to them by clothing them in kotnot
ohr/garment of [animal]skin. Chazal tell us that to restore our true
dignity as the image of God, we must transform the garments of ohr/leather
[spelled with an ayin] to garments of ohr/light [spelled with an aleph].
When we reaccepted the Torah on Purim, we indeed brought back into our lives ohrah/light
and simchah/joy...” When we wear these clothes, they are clothes of
revelation, like costumes of tzadidkim. When we change our clothes on
Purim, we are trying to elevate all aspects of our selves.
Mordechai understood the sanctity of the
day. He understood that our fate had been sealed. Therefore he chose to reenact
the Sinai experience and bring the children completely into the process. He
gathered together all the children with the parents as guarantors of the
continuation of Torah. Together all the children prayed and, as children do,
aroused the love of their Father. Just as the children were at Sinai, so were
they present here. Every year when Purim comes we again have a revelation of
God as our Father, wanting to give to us. And so we too give to whoever extends
his hand on this day and asks.
The Netivot Shalom reminds us that Yom
Kippurim can be translated to mean A Day like Purim, in the sense
that on both days Hashem wants to forgive us. But atonement is achieved on Yom
Kippur through a slow process of removing one brick at a time from the wall
that separates us from Hakodosh Boruch Hu when we itemize our sins and repent
through the recitation of al chet. In contrast, on Purim we can achieve
immediate atonement with the wall crashing down as with TNT, even if we are
undeserving. All we need do is ask.
Perhaps the purpose of our costumes is to
deceive the Satan, suggests the Netivot Shalom. We want him to believe
there is nothing of value inside us worth his effort, so we dress in costumes
that camouflage our true worth, just as one would transport the crown jewels in
simple containers that would not attract the gaze of thieves. Within us lies
the extraordinary power of prayer on this day for ourselves and for others,
with the gates of heaven wide open. Our inner essence needs no costume to
appear before Hakodosh Boruch Hu and connect our sanctity to its Source. On
Purim, it is all revealed.