Masked identity

Last night and today, Jews all around the world celebrated the holiday of Purim, the one Jewish holiday on which a Jew is supposed to get so drunk that they can't tell the difference between the name of Haman (the villain) or Mordachai (the hero).

Other than public drunkenness, though, the story of Purim covers the identity crisis of a woman who becomes queen of a kingdom in which the Jews have been threatened by a wicked man (Haman). This queen happens to be a Jew herself, and is forced to make some serious decisions that decide the future of her people.

On Friday night, at temple, my Rabbi discussed the idea of masks, and how Queen Esther had to wear several different masks, from those in front of her husband, the king, and in front of her own people, her fellow Jews. The idea of masks got me thinking of my own life, and how this story, which sounds distant and ancient, is actually very close to our hearts today.

As a high school teenager in America, I am forced to wear several different masks. I have to be one person in the classroom, another in the temple, a third in the newspaper room. This multi-faced beast becomes a web, entangling the many facets of what makes an individual who they truly are. It also becomes difficult, at times, to tell which face you are looking at, when looking upon another person. Are you seeing the true person, or merely a persona, overshadowing the truth bellow? When that person acts in a pompous and arrogant manner, are they truly feeling this way? Or is that a defense mechanism against possible underlying insecurity? When someone is cruel and insulting, is that a way for that person to head off a possible attack, one that they may be anticipating, possibly erroneously?

At times, this web of identities can even ensnare the person himself, not allowing the wearer of the masks to get a glimpse of who and what they are, at their deepest and most honest form. It is in these situations that we, as teenagers, are faced with the difficulties of trying to figure out who we are. The pressure that this can cause, most specifically on teenagers, is immense, as identity is one of the most important aspects of a thriving individual.

This all taken into account, we, as human beings, have an obligation to understand the predicament of our peers. We have no business judging others, when we ourselves are all too incapable of figuring out who we really and truly are. Therefore, it is important for us to delay overly cruel judgement until we have a full understanding of who a person truly is. Sometimes people will never have a full understanding of the other people they interact with. This being the case, it is best to not judge too cruelly upon your fellow man, as you never know how true the persona you are interacting with is to the true identity of a person.

On the flip side of that coin, however, is the situations in which people can get a fair and accurate view of who a person is, at their core. When these flashes of insight occur, and you are able to see who someone is really, at their most holy self, those are the times that must be cherished and praised, for that interaction is in the image of God. When human beings interact on a holy and meaningful level, being able to be their honest selves, it is a situation that accurately personifies the amazing works of God.

So I ask everyone not necessarily to take off the masks, but at the very least, to show glimpses of the person under them, as well as to have compassion for those who may struggle to see the difference between what is a mask, and what is real. For all of those who may struggle to find who the really are, it is important for those who know to have compassion. And for those who think they know, you may be. But you could be wrong. You may be someone completely different. Find out for yourself.