For Jewish children, one of the joys of Purim is dressing up, and on a more serious note, costumes send two central messages on Purim. First, costumes indicate that the surface of something may not reflect the actuality of that thing. Second, since God’s name does not appear in Megilat Esther, God is essentially hiding behind the text, arranging the string of “coincidences” that guide Esther’s story to its grand conclusion. Similarly, we hide our true faces from each other and present false fronts.

Often, in the Jewish nonprofit world, we employ a similar strategy of hiding not limited to Purim use. This hiding also happens with words. Recently, we constructed a list composed of jargon we hear often in our nonprofit world. At one time these words conveyed profound meaning. Through overuse, they have become less impactful. On the positive side, these words seek to create a common language and a connection among professionals and lay leaders. On the less positive side, their use becomes banal and blunted when used haphazardly.

In honor of the themes of Purim, I suggest that we utilize the Jewish tradition of Purim humor. In the 2011 Positive Psychology work by Müller and Ruch, Humor and Strengths of Character, they point out that the ability to laugh at our foibles makes us stronger and more connected to each other. In addition, we gain realizations and perspectives about ourselves.