- Clergy
- Shabbat
Just a few days after moving to Irvine in 2008, a flyer was placed in our mailbox. In large font:
“Annual Neighborhood 4th of July Parade.”
In smaller font, below, was a description of what to expect:
“Meet behind the fire truck in the cul de sac at 9am for donuts, orange juice and coffee. Decorate your bikes, scooters and strollers. After the (2-block-long) firefighter-led parade, we’ll gather for carnival games and a pool party. BBQ, watermelon and corn will be served. We’ll finish with plenty of time to see the fireworks.”
It was clear that our new neighbors waited for this event to roll around every year. For us, this 4th of July celebration in our new neighborhood on our new cul de sac was new, yet it was simultaneously, overwhelmingly familiar. Surely I had seen it on television or in pictures in magazines. It was an all-American ritual that people in neighborhoods around the country were also observing. But why?
As we approach this 4th of July Shabbat, I can’t stop thinking about how complicated our celebrations feel right now. When there is so much tension and division across our country, our Torah portion puts the question of why we observe the rituals that we do, front and center.
Parashat Chukat gives detailed instructions for an unusual sort of ritual involving a red heifer. In it, a rare red cow is brought, in perfect condition, to be sacrificed as part of the process of preparing the people to be purified of their wrongdoings. The ritual involves sacrifice and sprinkling blood and washing garments and gathering ashes.
Throughout the ages, this strange ritual has puzzled our sages. Why would the Torah, in such detail, encourage this sequence of events for which no logical explanation can be found? Even the great King Solomon could not fathom the reasons for the ritual of the red heifer. But he asked, and so do we.
By definition, ritual becomes habituated and in its familiarity lies much of its power. But when we never stop to consider why it is that we engage in the first place, the ritual loses its meaning and will eventually fade away, as did the ritual of the red heifer.
On this 4th of July, when so many of the core values on which America was founded have been buried underneath the arguments and hidden in the silos, we would be well served to take a moment and consider why it is that we celebrate the way we do. Then, we just may be able to have a renewed clarity about what it is that we remain proud to celebrate.
With wishes for a thoughtful celebration and a Shabbat shalom