Everybody out there probably has fond memories about the holiday of Purim. Do you remember your first costume? What was your favorite costume you had worn over the years?
There was such a grin and an enthusiastic salute in a particular picture I looked up of myself. It seemed like I was thrilled with the police uniform costume that my parents bought me when I was five. Guess what? When my son was five, I also bought him a police uniform costume for Purim and I even asked him to salute for a picture, comparing the two; now that’s cool!
What is the source for the custom of wearing costumes on Purim in which every Jewish community in the world follows?
It says in the Megillah, ‘v’nuhafachu’ everything turned topsy-turvy; things were not as they seemed. When the king ordered Haman the rasha to parade a very distinguished person on a horse with royal garbs, he thought he was talking about himself; but it was the Jew. Haman did just that – holding the mussel of the horse while Mordechai was riding. Everybody thought Mordechai was holding the mussel and they threw garbage at him not knowing it was actually Haman. The death decree against the Jews was overturned and Haman was hung on the tree that Mordechai was supposed to get hung from.
The situation turned around within moments. A beautiful example of this is the incident of Lot, Abraham’s nephew who was living in Sedom. The city was to be destroyed the next day, and Lot was trying to convince his son-in-law to leave the city with him. The son-in-law replied, laughing at Lot, it’s so beautiful outside, not a cloud in the sky, nothing is going to happen. Within 12 hours, the city was destroyed and he was killed in a blink of an eye.
By wearing a costume, we’re making a statement. Nothing is what it seems; it’s not me, it’s somebody else and that G-d can turn around anything at any time because He runs the world. The costume signifies an act of belief whether it is a police officer, baseball player, cowboy, Indian, and even a little princess.