[Avodah] Culturally questionable Purim costumes

[T613K at aol.com]

From:  Arie Folger _afolger at aishdas.org_ (mailto:afolger at aishdas.org) 

>> What  are the parameters of 'huqot hagoyim. Shul'han 'Arukh YD 178
includes among  the prohibition of 'huqot hagoyim the prohibition to
wear costumes  specifically associated with idol worship.


....But what about dress  that is more explicitly tied to foreign religious
celebrations or religious  orders, are these not violations of 'huqot
hagoyim? Is it sufficient that  in their neighborhood they are unaware
of the Christian connection, or do  they remain assur since most of
their non-Yerushlami neighbors, ten blocks  down, would recognize
these?

At issue are two costumes, one of girls  dressed as nuns, but with a
magen david (and upon reflection, that means  they are likely not
'Hareidim) and a family in Meah She'arim all dressed up  in red
costumes with white trimmings, reminiscent of some famous  fictional
character associated with gifts at some major Christian holiday.  I am
operating here under the reasonable assumption that they are  unaware
of the Christian connection.

Can one unknowingly transgress  'huqot hagoyim, meaning, when knowing
the halakha but not knowing of the  cultural connection? Does it matter
when the clothing in question is not  associated with AZ in that
neighborhood? <<

Arie  Folger,







>>>>>
It seems to me that if you live in a neighborhood (or a time) where the  
association between a particular costume and some A'Z religion has been  
forgotten and is not known, then there is no longer any prohibition.  How  could 
people be culpable for something they didn't even know about?
 
This reminds me of something else that has become common in  Jewish homes 
(but which my father did not permit): candles on a birthday  cake.  I think 
most people don't know that this custom had pagan  origins.  Those who do 
know, should not have birthday candles.  Those  who don't know, well, they 
don't know. 
 
I would make a distinction, BTW, between Santa Claus costumes and the nun  
costumes that you mentioned.  In the case of the former, it is safe to  
assume that the Meah She'arim kids had just never heard of SC and had no  clue.  
I've heard variations on this story a number of times -- e.g, an  Israeli 
kid visiting America and thinking SC is a chassidishe rebbe who wears a  red 
suit.  In the case of the nun costumes, you can assume they /did/ know  and 
that the purpose of dressing as nuns was to /make fun/ of them.  IMO  
wearing an A'Z costume in order to make fun of A'Z is mutar and is quite  
different from wearing an A'Z costume in order to "be like the goyim."
 
You could ask a related question, is it mutar to dress in a way that makes  
you appear to be a rasha?  Well?  How about dressing your kid up as  
Achashverosh or Haman?
 
Generations have held this to be mutar.
 

--Toby  Katz
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