2 Elul 5785/August 26, 2025
Rabbi Alan Litwak
Car Colors

When I was a child, my mother bought a Volvo station wagon, after we got into an accident in which we had flipped over and over down an icy embankment.  Yet, what I really remember about the Volvo was its orange color.  She called it “tangerine” which only gives you a sense of its brightness. While I bemoaned being seen in that car, there was nothing about the color that made it run differently, more/less efficiently, or more/less comfortably.  In fact, the only distinguishing feature was that it could be distinguished from the sea of gray, black, and white cars in a parking lot.  While that might have been a bonus feature, my mother chose the color because “I liked it and it was going to be my car!”  She also wanted the safest car available.  Whether it was the color or the safety record, the car told a story about my mother. 

In life, we make decisions that reflect our personal history, our own sense of self, and even our feelings about the surrounding culture.  When we argue with others who have made different choices, do we take time to understand the stories behind their choices?  Is it possible that we are arguing over meaningless differences like car colors, or just for the sake of arguing?  Do we argue just to show our uniqueness? Our independence?

If we are going to argue, can we do so with the intention of seeking a deeper truth?