The value, to me, of some ritual (5)

I believe the answer is:

merit

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'the value' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'of some ritual' is the wordplay.
'of' indicates a hidden word.
'MERIT' is hidden in the letters of 'some ritual'.

'to me' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for merit that I've seen before include "Excellence that deserves to be honoured" , "Have a right" , "Rate" , "Deserve; excellence" , "of a high order?" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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