Last night I heard a sound that I have not heard in some time – laughter from all my kids. It was not just regular laughter, but that deep belly laughter that often ends up in snorts. We were celebrating the holiday of Purim in a very Covid fashion by listening to the typical Megilla reading (the actual Purim story) in a very atypical way via a drive-in experience. It is customary to dress up in costume, often as Queen Esther, the story protagonist, which is exactly what I did. Only my version involved some ratty old blond wig with half the hair missing and a crown I plopped on top. It took me exactly two minutes to fashion this costume as we were rushing out the door. My kids were horrified & themselves refused to dress up, begging me to remove my getup. Fast forward three hours later, many strange looks from fellow drivers and parents in dance drop off after the reading, and visits to Starbucks and a gas station, and my kids could not stop laughing and were begging to do it again sometime soon. And this time they wanted to dress up too!
Just like in the Purim story, my costume was just a facade. The real me was hidden underneath. The laughter was aimed at the exterior, but the interior is where the truth lies. The joy, connection, and love my kids and I shared was there beneath the surface. Even when we’re not in costume, our real selves are often hidden under external garments that create barriers to our true selves. We wear masks of all kinds throughout our lives. Purim reminds us to look deeper, to see the truth hidden beneath the surface and to see ourselves for who we really are. Who are you when all the layers are shed? Who do you want to be?
