Tetzaveh

The passuk says, “שמן זית זך כתית למאור.” The Midrash brings a passukזית רענן יפה פרי תואר קרא ה’ שמך. The Midrash asks, is Yisrael only compared to an olive tree? In truth they are compared to many nice trees such as the vine and fig tree. However, this comes to show a comparison between Yisrael and the olive. An olive needs many steps until it produces oil. After it is grown it is taken off the tree and banged. Then it is ground. After that, it is surrounded with ropes, and stones are put on it to bring the oil out. Only then does the oil come out. So too Yisrael; the nations of the world come and hurt us and bang us and take us as captives from place to place. Through these tzaros we do teshuva.

The Slonimer Rebbe explains that Yisrael is called an olive because it has a hidden inner quality. Besides for the fruit itself, inside there is a new entity of oil which lights. No other fruit is like this. Even after you bang the fruit and something comes out, it is still similar- it is a food. The olive however produces a substance that is not just eaten, but can also be lit and provides light.

So too a Yid has a great light inside himself from Hashem (the neshama). Because of our physicality, it is hard to see. Only by breaking away the mechitzos can the light be revealed.

The Slonimer Rebbe says this can be with yissurim, having pain or difficulties. Or, when a person gives himself tochacha and he changes his ways. As the Gemara says, one tochacha is greater than 100 malkos. When a person fixes himself, the separation between himself and Hashem will be broken and this will allow the light of Hashem to shine on him.

This is why Yisrael are compared to an olive tree. It is to show that we contain within us a special light which we need to help bring out.

May Hashem help us bring out the light within ourselves and light up the world.