In the Torah, a peace offering (zevach shlemim) is the only one that is optional. It is a “just because sacrifice.” You would bring it after you had just completed a vow, overcome a great challenge, or had a prayer answered by God.
It is a way of acknowledging good fortune and being thankful to God for the blessings you’ve received in your life. And the best part of the peace offering is that almost the entirety of it was to be shared with the poor and the hungry in the community.
There are several moments worthy of a peace offering in this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Pinchas: the daughter’s of Zelophechad receiving their portion in the Holy Land, Joshua receiving the blessing as the next leader of our people, and Pinchas being given the covenant of peace. And, yet, despite a long list of sacrifices at the end of the portion, there are no peace offering offered. For me this is an absence.
Holidays like July 4th remind us how important it is to celebrate, side by side as a society, sharing generously with those around us. These are more than “just because” moments. They are sacrifices that make life worth living.