Dressed to Rejoice: Clothing as a Means To Achieve True Joy

Material items, and specifically clothing, play a vital role in the Purim story. The Megillah opens with King Achashverosh’s lavish feasts, the scene adorned with white, fine cotton, and blue, embroidered with cords of linen and purple, on silver rods and marble columns. There are couches of gold and silver on a pavement of green, white, shell, and onyx marble. Guests drink from gold cups. Although the verses don’t explicitly inform us of this, we can safely assume that King Achashverosh is dressed in royal garb of the highest caliber as well.

At first glance, it’s a bit odd that our Sages would want to include a narrative that broadcasts such immense materialism in our Biblical canon.

This isn’t to say that material enjoyment is completely at odds with Judaism. By and large, we’re supposed to take care to present ourselves well in the public sphere. Within the obvious parameters of our kosher dietary practices, we’re permitted to enjoy an array of tasty foods. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, we’re encouraged to dress in special attire and partake in delicacies we aren’t accustomed to during our weekdays. When we look at the text of the Megillah more deeply, however, we see, as Sivan Rahav-Meir, Israel’s celebrated journalist, points out, a stark difference that emerges.

Beauty As Pleasure

Yes, Esther catches King Achashverosh’s eye because of her external beauty, but the text informs us about her appearance very differently from how it does with Queen Vashti. Esther dresses in malchus, royalty, which our Sages explain to mean that she is garbed in prophecy and the Divine Spirit. True, Esther is physically beautiful, but her intent in using her beauty is for a higher purpose: to connect to G-dliness and holiness. She isn’t interested in how she can attain greater personal pleasure – in fact, she initially has no desire to approach King Achashverosh at all – but rather, she’s interested in a cause much greater than herself. Furthermore, when King Achashverosh does admit Esther into his inner chamber, and offers her anything she wishes – up to half of his kingdom – she only asks for his support toward her people’s protection.

Esther believes in herself, not because she knows she’s externally beautiful or talented or popular, but because she knows that G-d believes in her. She understands that this is her mission: to use her material gifts from G-d to bring about a holier, healthier, and happier future for her people.

Beauty As Holiness

Likewise, this was how the miracle of Purim occurs. Our Sages explain that the events of the Megillah are “hidden,” based on the verse, “And I will surely hide My face on that day…” (Devarim 31:18). The Ropshitzer Rebbe sees this idea manifest in the Purim story when Mordechai, after saving King Achashverosh’s life, enters the scene dressed in royal blue and white garments, with a gold crown on his head. On the surface, G-d seems devoid of any involvement throughout the entire Purim narrative, but if we look closely, we can see Him in the details. Just as a garment covers a person’s true essence, so too do these many “garments” across the plot of the Megillah conceal the authentic Essence buried within all of reality.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, takes this concept of garments, and specifically the practice of dressing in costumes on Purim, one step further. He notes that, truthfully, each of us dresses ourselves in various costumes every day which conceal our authentic selves. We all exhibit numerous behaviors as we strive to succeed in whatever project or task we’re currently involved with. Sometimes these behaviors are benevolent and represent our inner core, yet at other times – many times – they imply the complete opposite. On Purim, we aren’t afraid of people who dress like various animals or other ordinarily scary representations, or the diverse behaviors associated with those themes. We can see beneath the costumes – the person beneath the façade. Despite how much we may have assimilated into Persian society during the days of Esther and Mordechai, or how distant we might feel from our genuine selves presently, that inner core is still there, buried beneath the many layers in which we dress ourselves as we prepare to face the external world and its host of mundane obligations and temptations all around us.

Joy As Unpredictability

We see this most when we look at the Jewish concept of simcha as it relates to Purim. In the Megillah, we first see the idea of simcha portrayed as an external pursuit of material wealth. King Achashverosh throws a lavish feast, encouraging everyone in attendance to drink to their heart’s desire. As the plot advances, however, the notion of simcha shifts from its external manifestation to an internal expression. Toward the end of the story, the joy that results after the truth of Haman’s evil decree is one that’s connected to the mitzvos of Purim: feasting with others, sharing gifts of food with friends, and giving charity to those who are less fortunate. We journey from secular to sacred, and end with light, joy, gladness, and honor.

We often view joy as an external display of foolishness and lack of intellect, and wise people as contemplative and serious. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains, however, that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Our Sages teach that true poverty is the lack of knowledge, not necessarily monetary, because they understand poverty to mean more than just the absence of financial resources. In a very real way, each of us is “poor” to some extent because there’s always more we can learn – about Torah, about ourselves, about life, or anything else. We each have different ways of thinking and appreciating life, and therefore, each of us has something to both learn from and teach others.

The Unifying Force of Purim

V’nahafoch hu – so may it be now, this Purim!