Our Voices

I have loved Wicked the musical, since I was a child. I have fond memories of singing it at the top of my lungs in carpool, getting the chance to see Kristen Chenowith perform as Glinda at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, and even having the opportunity to play an ensemble role in my childhood synagogue’s production of the musical. It wasn't until the movie came out this past November that I realized the depth of my love for it and its message.

The humor throughout this musical is something I did not fully appreciate until I was an adult, but I believe that the number “Dancing Through Life” was always one of those particularly humorous songs that speaks to the necessity of critical reasoning, as troubling as it may be to those who use it in our world. Of course, when you apply critical reasoning, you’re going to find yourself uncomfortable with the conflicts arising. And yet, this discomfort is necessary to creating meaningful change in the world.

I’d like to believe that when we teach our students, we give them the opportunity to be critical, think deeply, and question norms so that they can work towards building a better world. Of course, it would be so much simpler to skate by and just let life happen. Of course, it requires much less thinking. To put it in the words of the song: “Life is fraught-less when you're thoughtless, those who don't try never look foolish.” To ignore the troubles of the world would be cause for ease of mind. And yet, this is not what our tradition implores us to do.

And I imagine that our very own heroine, Esther, may have felt similarly upon ascending to power as queen of Shushan. It would have been so easy for her to attend party after party, ignoring the world outside, and choosing to know nothing of the policies in her very own kingdom. She could have ignored Haman’s vendetta against the Jewish people and lived blissfully unaware of the immense power that lay in the hands of a dangerous man. Just as Fiyero suggested in “Dancing Through Life,” Esther, too, could have floated by, thoughtless and without a care. She would never risk looking foolish if she chose not to think about the people around her. However, this was not how Esther chose to live her life, as scared as she may have been.

And then her cousin Mordechai reminded her of the responsibility on her shoulders.  In perhaps one of the most famous lines of the book of Esther he suggested to Esther:“If you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.”

And with these words of inspiration ringing in her ears, Esther chose to look critically at the world around her, notice her role within it, and decide to make a change. She would publicize Haman’s plan so that everyone would be forced to see how he was misusing his power for his own hateful reasons. In the end, she took the approach of hope by choosing to believe that she could use her power for good. Perhaps she was the only person who could have done so.

As we approach the topsy-turvy holiday that is Purim, may we be able to notice the places where art and reality overlap, recognizing that sometimes the messages that pieces of art impress upon us have powerful lessons for our contemporary times.  May we know that despite the difficulty of these times, perhaps we have the unique ability to make the world a better place by choosing the right thing, even when it is not the easy thing to do. And may we always be willing to think beyond our own comfort level and wrestle with the uncomfortable in order to create meaningful change in the world.  If we can do all of this, we will fulfill the legacy of the brave Queen Esther and be agents for goodness in our world that so deeply needs it. ♦