Toldot and Wicked: Changing Us for Good
Words of Wisdom with Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar
This Dvar Torah was written by Dr. Carly Orshan, CAJE’s Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Teen Education.
Movie poster from goodfon.com
As we head into Shabbat and read Parashat Toldot, I have found myself thinking about the premiere of Wicked: Part Two – For Good.
Many of you know that the world of Oz has been part of my thinking for a long time.
My graduate thesis focused on The Wizard of Oz and its presence throughout American culture, and last year I wrote about Chanukah, light, and the lessons we draw from Wicked and “defying gravity.”
With part two of the Wicked phenomenon being released this week, the timing feels especially fitting to circle back to the narrative and its misunderstood main character.
Parashat Toldot tells the story of Jacob and Esau, two brothers who grow up in the same home yet experience the world in very different ways. One of the most striking lines in the parash comes when Rebecca is told:
“Two nations are in your womb…and the struggle between them will endure” (Bereisheet / Genesis 25:23).
While midrash may argue otherwise, it seems to me that their conflict does not stem from one being good and the other evil. It stems from competing feelings, unmet expectations, and the deep pain of not being fully seen.
Their struggle around blessing and identity feels all too familiar in moments when narratives collide and people speak past one another.
Wicked played with these same ideas.
The story invites us to look again at characters we thought we understood and to notice how easily labels can become fixed.
Wicked: Part Two – For Good continues this theme, reminding us that there is always more beneath the surface.
The musical famously opens with the question, ‘Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?’ (Wicked).
It is a line that pushes us to look beyond simple labels and approach complex situations with greater clarity and understanding.
This feels especially relevant as we continue to navigate the weight of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Like Jacob and Esau, two peoples share a deep connection to the same land, shaped by generations of history, trauma, fear, and longing. Each carries a narrative that feels undeniably real to them.
It is tempting to simplify, to flatten, or to choose the version that is easiest to hold.
But our tradition, and our work as educators and community members, asks us to do something harder and more meaningful.
This is the heart of nuanced Israel education.
In our CAJE programs we want our students to understand that empathy does not erase identity.
Learning another narrative does not diminish our own story or our own indigenous and historical connection to the land of Israel.
In very practical terms, this means giving students the tools to understand difficult topics.
For example, knowing about the Palestinian experience of the Nakba without losing sight of Jewish history, Jewish trauma, and Jewish peoplehood — not to mention that most countries on our planet were born out of wars.
When teens can hold these pieces with honesty and clarity, they become more grounded, more thoughtful, and more prepared for the conversations they will face in college and beyond.
As we move into Shabbat, Toldot and Wicked: Part Two – For Good come together around an important question: How do we stay rooted in our story while still widening our lens?
Wicked reminds us that when we allow ourselves to truly see another person, even when we disagree, we are changed for good — not simply forever, but for the better. You can listen to a preview of the new film version of “For Good” here.
This idea of being changed for good is also at the heart of this coming week’s themes.
As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, it feels especially meaningful to think about the blessings that shape us — the people who have influenced us, the communities that have supported us, and the learning that continues to mold who we are.
Toldot asks us to reflect on what it means to receive a blessing and what it means to share one.
Thanksgiving deepens that invitation. It offers a moment to pause and notice the blessings in our own lives- blessings of family, community, learning, and the resilience of the Jewish people.
It invites us to remember that gratitude becomes more powerful when it inspires us to give back, to understand others, and to strengthen our connections.
This leads me to one more reflection. Coming off Give Miami Day, along with all of CAJE’s staff want to express heartfelt gratitude for the generosity our community showed yesterday.
Your support strengthens every part of CAJE’s work — early childhood education, congregational learning, Israel engagement, Holocaust education, teacher development, film festival, adult learning and our programs for teens and families.
Your help ensures that Jewish learning remains vibrant, accessible, and relevant for our entire community.
For that, and for the spirit of gratitude that fills this season, we are truly thankful — for you, for the blessings you bring to our community, and for the ways your support helps us change lives for good.
