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Parshat Tetzaveh
1997
Summary
To paraphrase a great American revolutionary, "These are the parshas that try rabbi's souls."
I have spent some time perusing many midrashim on this parsha which opens with the directive from God to Moses "to have Aaron and Company kindle the light of the Sanctuary with pure olive oil"--the Biblical version of extra virgin. Many of the midrashim deal with how the history of Israel is reflected in the way oil is processed from the olive.
In trying to make sense out of Jewish suffering, the rabbis tell us that the pure oil only comes from the olive after it has been beaten and crushed. It is as if they wish to say that suffering is a necessary prerequisite to a spirit of purity. It is only after the olive is pulverized into pure oil that it is then ready to shed light upon the world.
One of the rabbis even says this is why the dove returns to Noah's Ark with an olive branch. It is a sign that when we emerge from our suffering, we have not only been cleansed, but we have the potential to bring light where there was darkness and desolation. It is this hopeful comment that allows us to rise from the despair that surrounds us. For along with the pain is the potential for new insight which may indeed "enlighten" not only ourselves but the world around us. Enduring suffering may bring forth insight, empathy, and generosity. It is just as likely to bring bitterness, anger and despair. The rabbis say that it was our ability to bring light which ensured our perpetuity.
The olives may be beaten, but their oil rises to the top, and then burns brightlly, defying the waters that surrounds it. This was a powerful metaphor for the rabbis. We have often heard the saying, "That which does not kill me makes me stronger." The rabbis, however, seem to be making a different point, "That which does not kill me may make me more pure, and makes my light shine eternally."
It may give me a consciousness that is truly enlightening to others, but first we have to emerge with the olive branch before this transformation can occur.
For those who understand the purpose of living is to grow in awareness, the "oliveness" of our history and our own individual travails require that we strive for hope under the bleakest of circumstances. It is this quality that sets Israel apart. That while the olive is being crushed there were those among us who prepared the oil and then brought the light. The dove searched for the branch and brought it back to the world's creatures assuring all that they had emerged from the waters of destruction.
May all the hidden lights be revealed when we need to see them.
Prepared by Rabbi Avi Weinstein.
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