Do You Have a Flag?

The brilliant British comedian Suzy Eddie Izzard has a well known routine explaining how Great Britain stole countries with the cunning use of flags. Watch a version of it here to do her humor  any justice: .

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“We stole countries with the cunning use of flags. Just sail around the world and stick a flag in. "I claim India for Britain!" They're going, "You can't claim us, we live here! Five hundred million of us!" "Do you have a flag …? "No..." "Well, if you don't have a flag, then you can't have a country. Those are the rules... that I just made up!”

Flags, while sometimes funny, are rarely matters to take lightly.  Whether declaring nationhood, patriotism, rebellion, identity, ideology or common allegiance, every flag is intended to make a clear statement without nuance. On cloth or an emoji or some other way of showing the colors, a flag stakes its claim to some territory, physical or otherwise.

We might think that flags with their propensity to divide would be something only necessary in an imperfect world. A sign that we are still set one against the other and, to put it in religious terms, the Messiah has yet to arrive to unite all under one banner of yet unimagined perfect peace.  

Yet, according to a midrash, when the Israelites received the Torah at Mount Sinai they observed the array of angelic hosts each bearing their own flag. This image comes from a Rabbinic interpretation of a phrase in the Song of Songs, dagul mirvava, the flagged myriad. What would the flags of a myriad of angels be meant to communicate? Angels already  know their own singular purpose and presumably are given their direction directly from the Holy One who has no need of such trappings. The Israelites, however, are enraptured by the sight of these flags and, even though they have gathered as one people at the mountain they petition G*d to array the tribes by their own flags that they too be able to identify with purpose without causing division. These are the tribal insignias that we read about at the beginning of the Book of Numbers, granted by G*d out of affection as the Song of Songs intimates: “And his flag shall be upon me with love.” We learn from the angels that flags can be inclusive and not territorial. They state a purpose that can help uplift others as opposed to separate.  

Flags are always potent and these past weeks and months have certainly been no exception. At rallies and on social media profiles, displayed respectfully or used for ridicule, the appearance of flags is likely to evoke something other than the love evinced by the Israelites and inspired by the angels.  The flags themselves are neither the cause nor the remedy for the hard feelings or bigotry they may unearth.

As the calendar turns to June, a flag of no nation and without borders comes to the fore: the rainbow colors of the Pride flag. The Pride flag is actually not just a rainbow but a particular assemblage of bars whose colors have specific meanings and design is intentional. The flag and the rainbow theme have become ubiquitous, sometimes appearing simply on a corporate logo and sometimes doing much heavier lifting in defiant proclamation of human dignity. Backlash against the flag and those who are empowered by it has also become more common and inextricably linked to a renewed politics of censorship and delegitimization. Still, for many the flag is a unifying force of expression, solidarity and allyship. 

One interesting thing about the Pride flag is that it has changed and continues to change since its inception.  The six rainbow stripes have been augmented with new bands and images to draw attention to the more marginalized within the LGBTQ+ community, highlighting transgender identity along with other hues of both gender and sexual diversity. This inclusive approach, which honors the core values and history of the Pride flag while widening the tent, underscores the choice flags present around representation. Is the distinction one of inclusion or exclusion. Is it one of unity or otherizing? And can the way we see ourselves and what we value evolve through the changes in our communities? 

Torah teaches us that, like the Israelite communities in the wilderness who want to stand unified while also distinct, the power of a flag is most fully realized when it achieves both.