If you’ve recently stepped into a store selling costumes, you’ve likely been overwhelmed—not just by the prices. Dozens of zombie, monster, and skeleton costumes line the shelves, raising an intriguing question: Why are so many people drawn to dressing up as such sinister characters?
Purim and the Masks We Wear: A Reflection on Identity and Finances
Purim invites us to explore profound questions of identity. Who am I? Does the mask I wear on Purim reflect my true self, or is it merely a disguise?
The psychologist Carl Jung proposed that the most visible layer of our personality is the persona—the outward image we present to the world—while the most hidden layer is the shadow, the aspects of ourselves we keep out of sight. Interestingly, the word persona originates from the masks worn by actors in ancient Greek theater. In other words, our persona is the mask we wear all year long. Beneath it lie hidden layers—some of which may contain our deepest fears.
Purim, however, provides a rare opportunity to confront our masks—not just in a psychological sense, but also in the financial realm.
The Financial Persona
We live in a culture of abundance that pressures us to adopt a specific economic persona. Society measures our worth by the number of rooms in our home, the make and model of our car, the size of our TV, and the brands we wear. This culture glorifies financial status and material wealth, compelling people to showcase their economic standing—even when they cannot afford it. The result? An all-too-familiar financial strain, often leading to an overdrafted bank account.
How deeply have we been swept into the currents of consumerism? More than we may realize. Many of us treat shopping as entertainment rather than a necessity-driven activity. We replace items instead of repairing them, throw away perfectly good food, and often have no real grasp of where our money goes.
In other words, our economic persona—the financial image we project—is often just another costly disguise.
Unmasking Ourselves
Purim presents a powerful opportunity to examine not just the mask we wear for the holiday, but the deeper masks we wear year-round. It challenges us to ask difficult questions:
- To what extent do I follow societal norms that I don’t truly believe in?
- Am I upgrading my phone because I genuinely need to, or because I feel pressured by a consumer culture that ridicules those still using an iPhone 4?
- Who do I want to be financially?
- Do I operate under assumptions like “The cost of living is high, and there’s nothing I can do about it” or “It’s impossible to live without an overdraft”—or do I take responsibility for my financial decisions and actively manage my expenses?
- What financial mask is it time to remove?
- What habit or expense can I let go of? What are my actual needs?
- Who am I trying to impress with my spending?
- Which of my expenses stem purely from the desire to fit in, and why do I allow that to dictate my behavior?
Purim is the perfect time to turn things upside down—to uncover the mask beneath the mask. It is a moment to examine our true financial values and realign our lives accordingly.
There is no better holiday than Purim to fulfill the words: “And the tables were turned” (ונהפוך הוא)—within our own souls.
