‘You did it right:’ What ‘Agatha All Along’s Torah reading means & why Jewish fans are so happy about it

Fans, particularly Jewish fans, are thrilled that the MCU created a canonically accurate William Kaplan. In the comics, Billy Kaplan is Jewish, and thankfully, this has been highlighted in the MCU. Episode 6 of Agatha All Along, “Familiar by Thy Side,” begins during his bar mitzvah, and Billy’s Torah reading may prove prophetic.

In the past, some fans have felt that Marvel hasn’t always been true to the diversity of the comics in their movies and shows. Even in Agatha All Along, certain fans felt that, while Patti LuPone is magnificent, the role of Lilia Calderu should have gone to an actor of Romani heritage, given that Lilia is the Witch Queen of the Romani in the comics. The same argument has been made for Elizabeth Olsen’s casting as Wanda Maximoff, and Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Victor von Doom. When it came to William “Billy” Kaplan the writers and showrunners thankfully decided to stick with the comic book’s depiction and kept him Jewish.

This became evident in the opening of episode 6, which saw William Kaplan participating in his bar mitzvah. A bar or bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ceremony for Jewish boys and girls, aged 13, that signals they are now adults and responsible for their actions. Part of the ceremony involves the young person reading a portion of the Torah, usually in a melodic way that can often be quite tricky.

Did William’s Torah reading have a deeper meaning?

In the series, the portion of the Torah that William read appears to be from the book of Leviticus. It tells of The Incident of Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aaron.

^{ויקרא י:א} וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִבוּ לִפְנֵי יְ־הוָה אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם. ^י:בוַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי יְ־הוָה וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם וַיָּמֻתוּ לִפְנֵי יְ־הוָה.

^{Lev 10:1} They took, sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, did, each man his tray; they put in them fire; they placed on it incense; they brought near before YHWH fire, strange (fire), that he did not command them. ^10:2 It came out, fire did, from before YHWH; it consumed them; they died before YHWH.

Note: YHWH is a transcribed version meaning God.

In the story, the brothers brought “strange fire” and were condemned for it, and they died before God. Could this be referencing the twins and their powers within the MCU? Does this imply what was about to happen to Billy and Tommy in Westview only moments after this was read? They have “strange fire” i.e. powers, and not long after their powers are revealed, the twin’s lives end (or so we thought). Or is this hinting at something to come? Or am I looking into this way too much? Who knows?

All I know is that it was clever to use a section of the Torah that feels as if it could relate to the story of Billy and Tommy in some way. Regardless, fans were thrilled at how well the bar mitzvah scene played out.

“Congrats, Marvel. You did it right”

Since the episode aired on October 16, many have taken to social media platforms like Reddit to share their joy in how well the scene was done. One OP shared their relief that it was well handled and praised Joe Locke for how well he did in the scene.

Some also pointed out that the success of this scene is likely because the showrunner, Jac Schaeffer, is Jewish herself, on her father’s side. Some fans chimed in on the casting of Locke, a non-Jewish actor, for the role, saying that “there will always be people who don’t like that they didn’t hire a Jewish actor” but that everyone has different views.

Some were simply awed by Locke’s singing skills as well as his pronunciation.

Whether or not his religion will continue to play a part in this character’s story, especially considering he is technically no longer William Kaplan but Billy Maximoff, will depend on how Marvel and Disney want to handle it moving forward.