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"…I like them all, but especially the olive. For what it symbolizes, first of all, peace with its leaves and joy with its golden oil."
Aldous Huxley
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Our parasha, Tetzaveh, begins with the command to light the Menorah, a seven branched oil lampstand. (The usual term "candelabrum" is anachronistic as candles did not appear until the Roman period). The Menorah is one of the oldest Jewish symbols, found engraved on rocks, depicted on mosaics, coins, and stone sarcophagi. The Menorah, among the loot being carried from the Second Temple, is famously depicted on the Arch of Titus, although some scholars question its accuracy. Outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, is a large bronze menorah sculpture by Benno Elkan that depicts major events in Jewish history. The Menorah's shape of a central stem with branches extending from either side unmistakably evokes a plant image, and the Torah's description of the Menorah is even in botanical terms: stems, branches, flowers, calyxes, almond-shaped cups. This has led some to suggest that the fragrant Israeli Moriah plant (Salvia palaestinae- a kind of sage) may have served as the botanical model for the menorah. The menorah is a kind of stylized tree — perhaps the origin of the symbol of the tree of life.
The menorah also symbolizes light. Evident in the biblical text is not only its complexity, but the importance of the menorah. Of all the objects in the Tabernacle, the menorah is the only one repeatedly accorded the epithet "pure" (tahor). The menorah was the only Tabernacle vessel that was made of solid gold (100 pounds of it according to Josephus) -- the others were gold-plated wood. The pure gold of the menorah further emphasizes its symbolism of divine light. The light of the menorah made the space sacred. This light symbolism is preserved in many synagogues in the Ner Tamid, a light hanging above the Torah ark that is never extinguished. The actual phrase, Ner Tamid, which appears in our parashah for the first time, has come to refer to this fixture in synagogue architecture. Here, however, the meaning is that the lamp be lit regularly and does not refer to the synagogue's 'eternal light'. Light was the first element in Creation -- the first step in transforming chaos into cosmic order. Light intimates both life and the Presence of the Giver of all life. Psalm 104:2 describes God as "wrapped in a robe of light." Light has always been associated with peace. According to the Talmud (Shabbat 22b), the light of the menorah is testimony that the Divine Presence resides in the midst of Israel.
The menorah was an oil lamp. In the Torah, 'oil' (shemen) always refers exclusively to olive oil, even though a variety of oils from nuts, seeds, fish, and animal fats were available and used for illumination in ancient times. The midrash notes: "not with walnut oil or radish [seed] oil, but only with olive oil which is a light unto the world" (Yalkut Shimoni 1, 378). The olive, and its oil, has many beneficial, healing properties, and can be preserved for a long time without becoming rancid. The "pure oil of beaten olives" used to light the menorah was a fine, clear oil, free of sediment, that would burn with a bright light and little smoke. This use of the purest oil for lighting was the reverse of the usual practice, when the cleanest oil would be used for eating and the less refined for lighting. (Surprisingly, olives are not mentioned as a food in the Bible; only in the rabbinic period when the process of curing olives developed were olives eaten.) We are all familiar with the story of the cruse of pure olive oil from the Chanukah story. Olive oil was also used to annoint the Kings of Israel. The word Messiah originally simply meant 'annointed.' Oil, a source of light, has always been a symbol of Torah. The olive and its valuable oil are synonymous with wisdom, peace and plenty. And not just in Jewish tradition. According to Greek legend, Zeus gave the city to Athena and named it after her for producing an olive tree.
Olive trees can live for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, and produce fruit for centuries. The typically gnarled trunk becomes hollow inside as the tree grows. The evergreen foliage provides welcome shade. The leaves are a silvery green on their underside, and when the wind blows, seem to shimmer with a special beauty, as if the tree itself radiates light. The olive leaf the dove brought Noah to indicate that the flood waters were receding has become a universal symbol of peace. Even today, the expression to offer someone an olive branch means to make peace. Together, the olive, its oil and menorah symbolize light, Torah, and peace.
Lessons for Today
Today, many of the world's conflicts seem to revolve around oil- not olive oil, but the petroleum based kind of oil. But in the land of Israel, even olive groves seem to fuel the conflict. Over the past few years, ancient olive groves have been caught in the cross-fire between Palestinians and Israelis. Israel's security forces have uprooted many trees, and Israel's security fence has separated Palestinian growers from their groves disrupting the harvest and creating economic hardship. But in a new award winning film "The Olive Harvest" olive trees represent the love of the land, and the film's universal themes transcend national borders. The film is moving, but the making of the film and the reactions of the crew tell an even more remarkable story because it utilized Palestinian actors and an Israeli crew shooting in Palestinian territory during their olive harvest. In a telephone interview with The Desert Sun, the Palestinian director, Hanna Elias said:
Part of my work as a Palestinian is really to meet the other side and to find a language of peace and respect and nourishment. In my case it was the decision to bring an Israeli crew to the production so we could work together and learn from each other and solve problems together instead of creating problems for one another. It was a fantastic experience. I wish I could apply this to all areas of human endeavor.
And, the oil from olives is being 'pressed' into service (pun intended) with new initiatives of partnership between Palestinian and Israeli olive growers. In a recent news item, the Israel Olive Oil Board and Palestine Olive Board plans to expand cooperation and display a joint Israel-Palestinian olive oil brand called "Peace Oil" at international exhibitions (GLOBES). (Another collaborative project can be found at www.faroukfriedman.com.)
Last week, in a departure from the last four years of violence, the new Palestinian leadership under Abu Mazen (Abbas) announced a bold commitment to peace, and has appointed new ministers responsible to increase stability and control. The path will not be easy and both sides will encounter obstacles and roadblocks as Israelis and Palestinians begin their very first tentative steps to peace. There is still much that will have to be resolved. We watch with bated breath knowing that verbal commitments can easily be derailed by fanatics. And while there have been positive signs (Israel's release of several hundred Palestinians), there have still been recent acts of terror against Israeli civilians. But we remain hopeful. The modern state of Israel's coat of arms, the Menorah flanked by two olive branches reminds us to be optimistic. These symbols were envisioned by Zechariah, the prophet of the return to Zion in the sixth century BCE. Light is not a violent force; Israel is to accomplish its mission by being a 'light to the nations,' setting an example, not by using force. Revealed to Zechariah, perhaps in the seven flames, were seven Hebrew words meaning “Not by might and not by power but by My spirit” (Zechariah 4:6) — the hope, alive today as it was then, that spirit will triumph over brute force.
Shabbat Shalom
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