We have a saying that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. On a very basic level this means that not all things in our life work out the way we want them to, so when we are given something that doesn’t look good, such as a lemon, we should make the best of it. What is interesting is that in the Torah portion of the week, Tetzaveh, we have a similar analogy, but with olives. Olives are very bitter fruit. Yet we are told to take this fruit, crush it for its oil, and use only the finest, clearest oil for the Menorah. Leave it to the rabbis to dissect this verse and debate its meaning. When it says to use only the finest and clearest oil, does that apply to the olive itself or only to the oil? Let me explain. Olives, when growing on the tree, can easily be pecked by birds. So the question is: Do we use for the Temple only the best olives (i.e., from the middle of the tree canopy, where the birds can’t reach), or are any olives fine, and we should only be concerned about the oil itself being pure? If so, we make sure that we want the extra virgin olive oil, without any parts of a pit or any other dirt inside the oil. Just plain, good, clear oil. There are technical, Halachic, and spiritual ramifications to these opinions. Today, let’s focus on the spiritual aspect. An olive in its own right is a bitter fruit, but what comes out of it is oil. Oil provides light, and adds flavor to food, to mention just a couple of its benefits. However, the clearer the oil, so too, are its benefits. Yes, it is true that if we take a “better” olive, we will get tastier oil, but the lesson for us is that even if we don’t go along with that opinion and take any olive, if we crush it, we can and will get very good oil. Life works the same way. Each and every one of us has the potential to shine and to bring light and warmth in to this world. We might say that we are like damaged goods—we have been picked on by the vultures, we are useless, and no one can benefit from us (perhaps some might think that they are simply past their prime). The Torah teaches us that we are to look at the end result: Did oil come out of the olive? If the oil is clear, that is all that matters, because every olive can produce oil. Sometimes we have to crush one a little more than another, but that is OK, because crushing brings out the sweetness in the olive oil. In our own lives, the good comes out after we are challenged. Let’s not be afraid of a challenge, as that is how the best of us comes out. Shabbat Shalom.
ב"ה