The Brooks of Esther: Two Important Lessons by David Brooks to Lead into Purim

Over the past number of years, I am one of the many who have learned from the wisdom of columnist and author, David Brooks.  Two of his pieces in particular helped to complement my learning of the Purim story this year. The first is a graduation charge called “The Great Unmasking” and the second is his book, The Second Mountain . (Sources below)

A Message for our (Almost) Unmasked Times in the Holiday of Masks

As most schools recently removed mask mandates, the Jewish holiday of masking being upon us is certainly timely. Purim is a story about hiding.  Esther, the woman whose name means,”I will hide,” hides her identity to the King. God is hidden as the Divine name does not appear even once in the book.  

And we hide on Purim – we disguise ourselves and mask who we really are. And in the past two years, mask on/mask off is sadly a reality we have all come to know all too well. 

Brooks shared this thought about unmasking that resonates, as each of us, in our own way, irrespective of COVID, wear plenty of masks in our lives.  Here are his words.   

People wear masks when they feel unsafe, and for more than a year, we were unsafe, and we had to wear masks. But the physical masks we wore were layered on top of all the psychological masks we had put on, out of fear, in the years before Covid.

Productivity is a mask. I’m too busy to see you. Essentialism is a mask. I can make all sorts of            assumptions about you based on what racial or ethnic group you are in. Self-doubt is a mask. I don’t show you myself because I’m afraid you won’t like me. Distrust is a mask. I wall myself in because I’m suspicious you’ll hurt me.  

As we take off the physical masks, it seems important that we take off the psychological masks as well. If there is one thing I’ve learned in life, it is that we have more to fear from our inhibitions than from our vulnerabilities. 

Brooks’ words hold so true. As we finally see each others’ faces, some for the first time in almost 2 years, we are seeing more of their true selves.  When we unmask we are able to express ourselves more completely, and to connect to others with our fullest selves.   

Esther Climbs the Second Mountain

In his book The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, Brooks discusses the two mountains in life that we all must climb to achieve wholeness.  To paraphrase: 

“The goals of this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when one gets to the top of that mountain, something happens. They realize: This wasn’t my mountain after all. There’s another, bigger mountain out there that is actually my mountain.

And so they embark on a new journey. On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered..They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment.”

This is the experience of Esther and the experience of each of us.  Esther achieves success in the culture of Persia as she rises to the highest heights.  She has climbed the first mountain.  She has made her mark in the eyes of her society. 

Yet, Mordechai makes her see the second mountain lesson.  In Chapter 4 he tells her that you are part of something bigger.  You are interdependent and you are part of the Jewish story.  Esther acts to save Am Yisrael, climbing that second mountain, entering that life of commitment. 

We too, must learn from Esther and from Brooks.  While the first mountain is a natural and often essential climb, it is one of independence.  It is that realization that we are part of something bigger, the embracing of interdependence, that climbing of the second mountain, that truly makes a lasting and meaningful difference.

May we find our truest selves in our move toward unmasking and embrace interdependence as we welcome Purim this week.

Chag Sameach.  

Masking reflections here.

Second Mountain description here.