THE ART OF TAKING OFF THE MASK
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THE ART OF TAKING OFF THE MASK
There’s an old story about a doctor who fell on hard times. Unable to find work in his profession, he found that the zoo was hiring, so he asked what jobs were available. The only job left, was something he never thought he would do. The ape had died, and they were not getting any new ape soon. They needed someone to dress up like an ape, and act the role. Surprisingly, the doctor excelled at the role, and actually started enjoying it. Visitors flocked to see this remarkable ape who danced, smoked cigarettes thrown into his cage, and even made fishing rods to fish in the pond in his cage. People came from far to see this ape that displayed uncanny intelligence.
One day, while climbing the walls of his enclosure, the doctor slipped and fell into the lion’s den. Terror seized him as the massive lion approached, roaring. In desperation, he cried out the Shema. To his astonishment, the lion whispered back, Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Leolam Vaed. Then, the bear in the cage over, joined in, Yehi Shem Hashem Mevorach Meatah Vead Olam. All three “animals” suddenly realized the truth: they were all just people in costumes, pretending to be animals, to make a livelihood, to put food on the table for their family. One was a doctor. One was a lawyer, and the other was a Rabbi. All, that could not find a job, but were good as animals in the zoo, as good as an animal zoo could be.
The zoo visitors who were present during all this drama, approached the zoo office, and demanded refunds, when they discovered how they were deceived. But the zoo office made a profound argument: these performers had acted like animals 99% of the time. Just because they spoke a few human words for the moments of drama, does that negate all the time they spent being animals? The visitors though, did not buy this claim. If an animal speaks even one word, it was never an animal. It was a human all along.
This story carries a deeper truth about identity. This is the question in life, that we subconsciously ask ourselves all the time, and many times, we are confused… Who are we? This is why a Jew can sometimes feel that not going to certain places, not doing certain things, not dressing certain ways, is limiting. This is because he forgot something. He is בני בכורי ישראל, he is the Son of G-d. She is the Princess of G-d. The Queen of England knows that she is not limited when she needs to dress regal, loyal, fully covered, because that is who she is. What does it mean to be G-d’s Firstborn son? What does it mean to be a Yehudi?
There is a reason why the Jews are called Yehudim. The name comes from Yehudah, one of Yaakov’s twelve sons. Not Reubenim, after the firstborn. Not Yosefim, despite his greatness. Not from any of the other tribes… Only Yehudim, because of Yehudah. Why?
When Yaakov gathered his sons to bless them before his death, he called them one by one. To Reuben, he rebuked his hastiness. To Shimon and Levi, he addressed their violence, that it was Esav’s way. When Yehuda’s turn approached, Yehuda stepped backward, afraid of criticism, bracing for harsh words. But Yaakov surprised him: “Yehuda, you are the one your brothers will praise. You are a lion among your enemies. Even when you lie down, even when you fall… You are still like a lion.”
This is the essence of Yehudah, and the essence of Yehudim: Even when we are crouched, even when we look like we are lazy, even when we look vulnerable and weak ,… we are really lions inside. What does it mean to be a Yisrael? The word Yisrael comes from the word שרית, that Yaakov fought the angel. Not that he won the angel, ותוכל, but that he fought the angel! If you are a Yisrael, it means you know how to never give up, even in the most difficult moments, no matter how many times you fell, you are a fighter!
These weeks are called Shovavim. Weeks of Teshuva, weeks that got their name, from the acronym of Parashiot Shemot, Vaera, Bo, Beshalach, Yitro, Mishpatim. Why now? And What type of Teshuva? The weeks of Shovavim are weeks that we can do Teshuva on things that we are enslaved to, desires and addictions. It is not only addictions of inappropriate thoughts, content, and behavior. It is time to do Teshuva from all addictions, even emotional eating, scrolling, or anything that we can’t stop. The power of these weeks is that we can do Teshuva, even though we have no merit, nothing at all that we deserve to ask G-d to change. Not even a commitment. We are like the Jews in Egypt that were not any better than the Egyptians, we served idols just like the Egyptians did. The only reason why we were saved was because we were considered G-d’s Firstborn son, and we kept that identity, through not changing our Names, Dress code, and Language. That is the power of these weeks, redemption not because of what we do, but because who we are.
Being G-d’s Firstborn son is very powerful. How so? Your firstborn son, is not like any other son. Your firstborn son is the only son that made you a Father. It is not what he did, it is not even who he is. It is how having this son, made you Father, that you have a deeper connection with this son. And that is why G-d saved us then, and that is why G-d will save us now. A father who sees their child messing up, even though the child does not deserve to be saved, but the father will save the child, because this child made this father into the father he is.
G-d’s Firstborn son, is who you are, even if 99 percent of the time, you don’t act like it. During Shovavim, we are asking G-d to pull off the masks, and bring out who we really are. Addiction in Hebrew is התמכרות, meaning, that a person is sold a slave to what he is addicted to. The addict is not free, and with all the addict’s justification to his behavior, there is one thing that every addict will admit something they wish they could change. They all wish they were free, that they could choose, but they can’t because addiction means sold, sold as a slave. During Shovavim, we turn to G-d to help us, and free us from our bondage, as He is the ultimate אב הרחמן, loving Father, as we refer to Him in Baruch Shaemar. All mercy a father has to a son, is a mashal, a parable, to G-d’s Mercy to us.
Sometimes G-d also looks like He is hiding in a costume, in a הסתר פנים He seems like He is doing bad רעה, but He is just being a רועה, a Sheperd, that hits the sheep to move, because there are wolves that the sheep can’t see.
Sometimes, one thing you do, can define you, even more than 99 percent of the things you do. Our sages teach that after 120 years, when we stand before G-d, who will testify about the life we lived? The walls of our home. Why? Outside, everyone wears masks. Everyone smiles. Everyone helps each other. Everyone appears holy and righteous. But inside our homes, that’s where truth lives. How did you speak to your parents? To your spouse? To your kids? That is who you really are.
There’s a profound teaching about the confrontation between Moshe and Aharon, and Pharaoh’s magicians. When Aharon threw down his staff and it became a serpent, Pharaoh’s sorcerers did the same, their staffs also became serpents. But then something remarkable happened: Aharon’s staff swallowed all their staffs.
The Gemara in Shabbat points out something extraordinary: there was actually a miracle within a miracle here. First, the serpents transformed back into staffs, and then Aharon’s staff swallowed all the other staffs. Why was this necessary? Why couldn’t Aharon’s serpent simply swallow the other serpents while they were still in serpent form? Why did they need to transform back into staffs first? Some commentators say, that it would not be as big of a miracle. It is natural for a big serpent to swallow small serpents. But still, isn’t this an unnecessary miracle, and G-d does not make unnecessary miracles!
The prophet Yehezkel records that Pharaoh called himself התנין הגדול “the great serpent”… he saw himself as a mighty, fearsome creature. He even wore a snake in his hat! But G-d’s response was powerful: “You are not a serpent, and you are not great. You are nothing more than My staff… a stick that I use how I see fit.” The transformation back to staffs revealed the truth to Pharaoh: Pharaoh was never a serpent-like power at all, it was just an illusion, a costume, power that wasn’t real. He was always just a staff, a tool in God’s hands. Whenever someone rises against the Jew, it is the same reality. They are not the Snake, and they are not Big. They are just the Staff, in G-d’s Hand.
This is the deepest solution to every problem in life. It is either to take off G-d’s mask, take off your mask, take off your wife or kid’s mask, or take off the mask of the one you think is controlling you…
