In the classic Jewish text, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)*, Rabbi Meir advises: ”Do not look at the jug but what is in it.”  A recent example of this wisdom is Miss Susan Boyle.  The YouTube video of this woman on “Britain’s Got Talent” was amazing.  To be honest, I thought it was staged until she started to sing.  People in the audience were hissing when Susan Boyle came out, and she was clearly not comfortable performing.  Then she opened her mouth and sang, “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables and you know the rest.  Millions of people have seen the video on YouTube.  Here was this ordinary woman with an extraordinary voice.  Her voice alone is enough to garner the praise and attention she is receiving.  But her appearance seemed to make her audition more of an event—almost as if it is surprising that a plain, ordinary woman would have such a beautiful voice. 

Another recent example of Rabbi Meir’s wisdom can be found in the Miss USA pageant.  Carrie Prejean, Miss California, is the runner-up for Miss USA.  She is as different from Susan Boyle as two women can be.  Miss Prejean could have been the prototype for Barbie, the Mattel doll that made looks and popularity synonymous with happiness.  I did not watch the pageant, but I saw plenty of clips of her declaring she believed in “opposite marriage”.  Now, I do not think we need a Miss America but, heck, if we are going to have one, I’d like her to be thoughtful and articulate.  To say nothing of the revelation that this young lady has had plastic surgery, posed semi-nude, and has pretty much reneged on all the agreements she made when she was chosen to represent the State of California.  Again, it is as if people are shocked that such a beautiful girl is not what she “appears” to be.

These are very public reminders for us not to “judge a book by its cover,” but to look into the container, as Rabbi Meir advised.  We need to share examples of this truth with our children so they can experience the gifts of people they might not normally take the time to get to know.  In this way, they may come to recognize that beauty is more than skin deep.

Speaking of skin deep… I hear there is a great deal of controversy about the new Barbie.  Word is, she may have a tattoo.  I guess that’s a topic for another day.

*Pirke Avot is a compilation of ethical teachings and maxims by the Rabbis of the Mishnaic period (1st and 2nd centuries). 

By Donna Kane, MA, Jewish Community Services, Baltimore, MD

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