The worth of some ritual (5)
I believe the answer is:
merit
'the worth' is the definition.
(merit is a kind of worth)
'of some ritual' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'MERIT' is hidden in the letters of 'some ritual'.
(Other definitions for merit that I've seen before include "of a high order?" , "Excellence, worth" , "Rate" , "Just deserts" , "Have a right" .)