The Original Source and Halakhic Status of the

Custom (Minhag) of wearing Costumes on Purim

Ra'hmiel Ezra Travitz

2015 '"

Introduction
The minhag of wearing costumes on Purim is, like many minhagim, of surprising and
generally unknown origin. There is a general trend to conflate reasons given (almost
all after the fact once the practice is already popular) with the cause of any given
practice. However, it is far more common that the practice first exists and was
adapted from surrounding culture, usually among the simple and less educated folk,
and only afterwards, perhaps many generations later, are the first religious reasons
ever given to a practice1. This is often the case with with customs. Jews who lived
among non-Jews everywhere were of course influenced by many of their neighbours'
practices. This does not make the practices necessarily or inherently wrong, but
depending on their exact sources, there may sometimes be very serious Halakhic
issues with a practice.
The masquerading on Purim that nowadays so many are accustomed to doing was
(and perhaps, is) very controversial, yet it is the other side of the story which
opposed this practice - for many varied reasons - that is ignored and that this article
hopes to elucidate.
I intend for the main text of the article to be clearly intelligible to the layman, while
the footnotes are mostly geared towards the scholar.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any errors, however small, and
the many omissions made due to the lack of time to expand this article as much as
possible before Purim. I would be most grateful if any reader who has any corrections
or additions could send them to me at rachmiel.travitz@gmail.com to be included in a
future edition, God willing.
It is my fervent hope and desire that this article will cause people to not only
understand the origins of this particular custom, but in general to take a greater
interest in the development and origins of customs so accepted unquestionably
amongst the general Jewish public.
With blessings for a joyous and uplifting Purim,
Ra'hmiel 'Ezra Travitz

1 See for instace, one example of many, Travitz, Ra'hmiel, The Custom (Minhag) of Eating Dairy on

Shavuot, available at
https://www.academia.edu/7501707/The_Custom_Minhag_of_Eating_Dairy_on_Shavuot

A Survey of (ignored) Halakhic Sources which Prohibit

Before looking at the source of the custom, it is essential and worthwhile to first
understand that the custom was and has been controversial since it first existed, with
a great many Halakhic decisors (Poskim) opposing the practice, or various aspects of
it.
The original practice wasn't so much about dressing up as much as it was about
masquerading with masks (with the most common reason heard, and that most kids
are taught, being that it is in remembrance of how God masked himself by not
being openly revealed in the miracle(s) of Purim related in Megillat Esther)2. The
sources tend to reflect this, as the word that they use, partzufim, literally means
faces or masks. There are some issues that the various Halakhic decisors had
specifically with masks (which, as above, was the main custom originally), but the
main issue discussed was the halakhic problem of cross-dressing (which was
apparently a common part of the Minhag back then, even though it is a Biblical
prohibition3 and can even be seen nowadays among some of the more daring getups), and other halakhic reasons which can be applied to masquerading on Purim in
general.
The practice of wearing costumes, including allowing cross-dressing, is quoted in the
Rema4 (Rabbi Moses Isserles, c. 1520 1572) in the name of Mahari Mintz5 (Rabbi Judah Minz
c. 1405 1508), as such, That which they are accustomed to wear masks on Purim as
well as cross-dress, there is no prohibition in the matter, since they do not intend to
do anything except rejoice only. Yet some say that it is forbidden. Nevertheless the
2 " ,
It is of interest to note that he states the Minhag is to dress up at the time of the festive meal of Purim,
implying that he was well aware of the nowadays commonly unknown or oft-ignored custom of specifically
dressing up in Shabbat and Yom Tov clothes at least for the reading of the Megilla. He also notes that the
Minhag of dressing up is to not be recognisable one person to the next, which is important for context further
on in this article.
3 Which the Rema surprisingly allowed to the chagrin of the vast majority of the other Halakhic decisors. The
point is made (as quoted in some of the Hebrew footnotes below), that if this is not allowed for the Mitzva of
bring joy to a Chatan and Kalla, how can it be allowed in this case, which is just a Minhag?
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5 The reason that Mahari Mintz gives, quoted in the above footnote from Darkei Moshe, that since the intention
is for the joy of Purim it is permitted to transgress the Torah laws of both cross-dressing and robbery (due to
the custom of playfully stealing from each other). However, this reasoning is, with all due respect, surprising in
its obvious ridiculousness, as A) there is no Talmudic source for such an idea, that Simchat Purim temporarily
uproots Torah laws, and the dinim that he does base it on are incomparable to our case, and B) if people had
had the joyous custom to - for instance - eat pork on Purim, according to this reasoning it would be permitted
(both cross-dressing and eating pork are religious prohibitions, chukkim). It is the Bach that goes to length to
disprove this, see below (in Hebrew).

custom is like the first view [i.e., that it is permitted]. In his Darkei Moshe6 on the
Tur, however, he writes that it is fitting to be strict and not wear masks (and
costumes) on Purim. However, it is very important to note that even though the Rema
does say that wearing costumes and cross-dressing is technically permitted in his
opinion, he also says that there are those who are accustomed to wear Shabbat and
Yom Tov clothing on Purim, and this is [the] correct [thing to do].7
However, the Be'er Heitev8 (Rabbi Judah Ashkenazi, c. 17301770) there quotes that
elsewhere the Turei Zahav9 (Rabbi David ha-Levi Segal, c. 1586 1667) and the Bayyit
Chadash10 (Rabbi Joel Sirkis c. 1561 - 1640) wrote that it is forbidden and although one
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should not publicly protest since it is unlikely that anyone will listen, one should be
strict about this (and the other customs that the Rema mentions there11) and not wear
partzufim or cross-dress, and similarly not transgress any Tora or Rabbinic Law in
order to celebrate Purim12. The Be'er Heitev further quotes that the Kenesset
HaGedola13 (Rabbi ayyim Benveniste c. 1603 1673) wrote to prohibit the wearing of masks
on Purim totally. The Be'er Heitev further quotes the responsa work Devar Shemuel14
(Rabbi Samuel Abohav c. 1610 - 1694) as opposing the practice of wearing masks.
Similarly, the Birkei Yosef15 (Rabbi ayyim Yosef David Azulai, c. 1724 1806) writes that the
aforementioned Bayyit Chadash and Kenneset HaGedola disproved all of Mahari
Mintz's proofs and proved that one cannot rely on his reasonings and ruling in this
matter (and consequently, one cannot rely on the Rema who relies on them).
Furthermore the Be'er HaGola16 (Rabbi Moses Rivkas, c. 1591 1671) quoting the Bayyit
Chadash writes that many terrible outcomes have come from this custom, and ends,
and happy is the one who nullifies them [these customs].
Similarly in the book Ish Seva17 the author writes open attacks on this custom, and
that a doctor from the Holy Land related to me that he once observed Purim in a place
where they too were accustomed to masquerade with masks, and the outcome was
that some transgressed the prohibition of adultery, and even a case of someone
transgressing with his stepmother, because they all could not recognise each other18.
The community therefore arose and fully nullified the custom in a communal meeting
in the Synagogue with excommunications and threats, etc., and wrote this down
among the other decrees of the community.

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11 Such as playfully stealing from one another and cross-dressing
12 This is especially important for the reason that we will discuss in the next section of this article, a reason to
prohibit costumes not dealt with by these sources due to their lack of knowledge about the precise origins of
the custom of Purim masquerading.
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18 Specifically when drunk

The Original Source for the Custom

As readers who are even somewhat familiar with the Halakhic sources quoted above
(and in general Halakhic jurisprudence) are probably aware, the earliest sources
recording the custom are all Ashkenazic, some of the later sources are European
Sepharadic, and as we shall see soon, only much later on do you have Mizrachi
(Middle Eastern) and North African sources on the topic, or non-European
Sepharadic sources, except for places where Ashkenazim had communities, like in
the Holy Land. Simply put, the custom was originally and for quite a while unheard
of outside of Europe.
The truth of the matter is that the real source is from the Roman Catholic and (to a
lesser extent) Eastern Orthodox festive season known as Carnival, or Carnaval,
which is a period of celebration and draw-dropping debauchery before Lent (a period
of many ascetic practices for Catholics), mostly observed during February. The
original festival season of Carnaval had originated from the Romans and Greeks (the
word Carnival is itself Latin in origin19), who had celebrated it in service of the Pagan
God, Dionysus, amongst other Gods, in ways which included excessive wine
drinking and orgies. It developed much past that, and in 186 BC The Roman Senate
repressed the orgies and parties in honour of Bacchus (Dionysus of the Romans),
because they generated disorder and scandal. Both the festivals of Saturnalia20 and
Bacchanalia occurred during this period. In Catholic Europe, Europe is divided into
countries that see the Carnaval as a religious celebration and countries where the
Carnaval is the feast of gluttony, wine, music and sex.
However, the most distinguishing feature is the masquerading, and of course, the
masks which this period of celebration, perhaps most famously in Venice, known for
its particularly extravagant masks and costumes for this festive period. Indeed, the
apparent original source for masks and masquerading during this period is Venice.
The following is a quote from an album of the Carnaval in Venice21:
The word carnival derives probably from the Latin expression carnem
19 The exact Latin source, however, is disputed. It is also disputed if the source for this name is Christian or preChristian in origin.
20 A Roman festival mentioned by name numerous times in Talmud, and discussed somewhat extensively in BT
'Avoda Zara
21 Rowen, Shirley and David, Carnival in Venice, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York

levare, which means literally to take away (or prohibit) meat. Some have
thought that it simply comes from the Latin words carne and vale, which,
spoken together, would mean farewell to meat.22 In any case, Carnival
celebrations have for many hundreds of years taken place just prior to the
advent of Lent, a traditional period of abstinence, fasting, and penitence. And
the original sense of the words did not mean merely to give up eating meat but
to renounce the many pleasures of the flesh for the forty-day period before
Easter, that joyous moment in the Christian year.
Citizens of Venice are quick to remind one that their earliest pre-Lenten
Carnivals date back to the year 1094, when the great squares of the city were
turned over to aristocratic pageantry, public sports, competitions, and
performances by roving minstrels and actors.
The tradition of the mask was probably born at that time. Masks made it
possible for aristocrats to mingle publicly in the crowds, for the nobility to
consort anonymously with commoners. The possibilities of disguise stir the
imagination: the countess might seduce a fisherman; her noble husband could
serenade a serving girl.
The custom of the mask seems to predate all Jewish sources which mention dressing
up in costumes and masks on Purim by at least a few centuries. In fact the Italian
Mahari Mintz mentioned above as the source for those who permit the custom lived
mostly in the 15th century, long after we have accounts of masks and masquerades
across Catholic Europe. In fact, the Carnaval tradition of masks and masquerades
spread like wildfire, to places like Southern Spain (Andalusia) post-Reconquista23,
Germany (though masks were less common in Germany, and it was (and is to this
day) mainly just costumes), Hungary, Lithuania and elsewhere, all with large Jewish
populations.
(Incidentally, another distinguishing feature was parades. In fact, the famous
Adloyada parade24 tradition started in 1912 in Israel on Purim or Shushan Purim
(depending on the city) was originally called Carnival. Only in 1923 was the name
actually changed in a competition.)
To summarise the basis of this argument that the source is in fact Christian, let us
note a few important points:
The custom was first mentioned in sources from Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox Europe, where this festival with masks was celebrated
22 Both these interpretations are disputed
23 See Gilmore, David D., Carnival & Culture: sex, symbol and status in spain, Yale University Press. For
general recommended reading about Carnaval, see also Orloff, Alexander, Carnival: myth and cult
[translated from the original German], Smithmark Publishing, as well as various online resources too
numerous to mention.
24 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0001_0_00472.html

 It was unheard of elsewhere until much later, and almost always opposed by
the Halakhic decisors there, if for reasons other than its then unknown origins
In general, practices first exist, and only after are given reasons, and they are
usually first adopted by the masses, who are often heavily influenced by their
surroundings
It is highly unlikely that the Jews of Europe were aware of the origins of many
Carnival practices, or the origins of their own minhagim. To this day one often
hears (specifically among Ultra-Orthodox, but Orthodox in general to a lesser
extent) the assumption stated without any real investigation that they must've
gotten it from us
It is highly likely that the custom had existed amongst the populace for quite a
while before Rabbis even considered the issue, and was already well
entrenched with no one quite knowing where it had come from25
One of the first Rabbis to point out the obvious connection between the customs of
Carnival and some of the European Jewish customs of Purim was Rabbi Joseph
(Yosef) Messas, in a Responsum in his Mayyim Chayyim26. Rabbi Messas, a welleducated Moroccan Rabbi who later became the Chief Rabbi of Haifa until his death
in 1974, noted that according to the Rema himself, the very Posek upon whom people
nowadays mainly rely in order to masquerade, the practice is totally forbidden, from
the Torah a De'orayta prohibition (the Rema obviously did not know the practice's
source, or he would have forbidden it). The issue here is Chukat HaGoyyim27 which
according to all opinions28 applies in cases of practices of Gentiles whose source is
Avoda Zara, forbidden and Pagan worship. This is besides for the issues of modesty
and pritzut that arise from this practice that have been mentioned above already, and
were also pointed out by R' Yosef Messas.
Nonetheless, R' Yosef Messas notes that it will be hard to tell children to stop
wearing, and so therefore that children who would be upset if told not to wear should
be allowed to bedi'avad, i.e., only if they must29.
R' Yosef Messas finishes his Responsum by saying, ...and therefore anyone who
within his power can protest yet does not protest [against this custom], will in the
future be called to judgement [on it], and continues to the person who had written to
him the question, speak please into the ears of the Nation nicely and calmly, and
with the help of God your words will be fruitful.
25 A remarkably similar situation was the case with the custom of eating dairy on Shavuot. See my article
referenced above in footnote 1. Furthermore, the fact (as noted above) that it was a source as late as the Mahari
Mintz that first really tried to defend the practice just seems to confirm this even more.
26 " ' " ' ", ",
Much of this article is based on this Responsum.
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28 In general, Ashkenazim as opposed to Sepharadim, extend this to apply to certain other (limited) areas.
Nonetheless, everyone is in agreement over practices that actually are idolatrous in origin.
29 Even though they are children and not obligated in Mitzvot, nonetheless, this is a serious Torah prohibition, so
I believe that R' Yosef Messas's point is a point of Chinuch Jewish Education.

Personal Observations
It is always somewhat fascinating and sadly amusing to see grown men and women
on Purim all dressed up in costimes like children (although often drunk very much
unlike children), with all the lack of self respect and dignity that that entails. The
festival of Purim, like all Jewish festivals, was historically celebrated in a uniquely
Jewish fashion. This, of course, never meant carnivals, and all sorts of outdoor
amusements and the like as is practised nowadays. The Ashkenazic custom30 of
dressing up in Shabbat and Yom Tov finery for the reading of the Megilla, and in
general the minhag to do so for all of Purim as the Rema writes, is almost forgotten,
though I personally make a point of doing so myself.
I recall seeing some of the craziest things that people dressed up in. Besides the now
infamous picture of an Israeli Haredi family walking down what appears to be a
Meah She'arim street with the father and all the kids dressed like Santa Claus31, I
personally witnessed to young adult men, who incidentally worked as Mashgichim of
wines, dressed up as Catholic monks (!), even with a necklace with a cardboard cross
on it, though the left arm was torn off as if that makes such a thing Kosher. It has
also been related to me on numerous occasions that it has happened before that
people, even kids, dress up as Nazis32.
Purim has instead become an orgy of drinking and partying, and there is nothing
Jewish about that. I think it prudent to give an example of how Purim used to be.
Purim day, as it should be, went something like this, according to the custom of Iraqi
(Babylonian) Jews.
One would wake up early (Hanetz HaChama was standard in Mizrachi countries),
pray and hear the Megilla as early as possible and immediately perform the other
Mitzvot of the day of gifts to each other and gifts to the poor.
They would then go home and learn for a while. (Incidentally, the Rema actually
30 Quoted in Rema, see above and footnote 5
31 Although to be fair, they probably hadn't the foggiest clue who Santa Claus is.
32 While I understand that the sentiment is not - God forbid - pro-Nazi, and is meant to be in jest, and I guess they
think it comparable to dressing up as Haman, it is in exceedingly bad taste. In the one first-hand account of this
I heard from a completely trustworthy source, a kid was brought into a Synagogue by his parents dressed as a
Nazi in a German (!) Synagogue with Holocaust survivors present!

recommends doing this during the day before the meal)33.

They would then sit down to a first meal, and heat heavy foods like meat etc., and
would drink, although they would bless Birkat HaMazon before starting to drink
heavily. After eating heavy foods and then drinking strong wine in order to fulfil the
obligation of drinking Ad Delo Yada, due to the heavy food, rather than becoming
drunk in a disgraceful and undignified fashion (and they certainly wouldn't drink out
on the streets, God forbid), they rather became drowsy and fell asleep for a little
while34. They would then get up to pray Mincha and would then start a second meal
with the whole family that would go way into the night. Due to the fact that they
already had fulfilled their obligation with the first meal, they often started the second
meal close to when Purim ends, like many do nowadays, however, this way they did
not transgress the Rema's imperative to not start the Se'uda so late35.
We see that none of this includes the craziness and undignified behaviour of many,
both in public (with all the Chillul Hashem that that involves) and in private, in the
name of Simchat Purim. Rather, Purim is celebrated like all Jewish festivals with
the family, at a meal, calmly, cheerfully, and respectfully.
With the help of the Almighty, may we merit to keep Purim as it was intended, and
sanctify God's name.

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