This chag (festival) obscures the lines of past, present, and future through the power of story. We’re taught to remember we were the ones who were enslaved and crossed the Red Sea. A deeper reading suggests that we celebrate to remember that we are in fact making a spiritual exodus from our own internal Mitzrayim (Egypt) throughout our lives.

In this week’s Torah portion (parsha) Tzav, it is commanded that a small fire be placed on the altar - a fire that must never be extinguished. Rabbi Moshe Becker commentates “this small flame also reminds each of us that we have a spark to learn and improve within us. It is our responsibility to nurture our spark by feeding it through continued learning.”

Rituals create value for each of us and our families, even if we do not immediately realize: morning coffee, yoga before work, how we get dressed. Ritual is a powerful tool to stay healthy during ‘normal life’ as well as challenging and unusual times.

In this week’s Torah portion Shemini, the laws Kosher are laid out. While we often think of Kashrut (or keeping Kosher) as ritual restrictions for Jewish diets, the biblical framing of the laws of keeping Kosher are stated in positive and affirmative language-- “These are the creatures that you may eat among all the animals on the earth.”