Crushed olives

The prophet Yirmiyahu says

זַ֚יִת רַֽעֲנָן֙ יְפֵ֣ה פְרִי־תֹ֔אַר קָרָ֥א יְהֹוָ֖ה שְׁמֵ֑ךְ (11:16)

A leafy olive tree with beautiful fruit, Hashem has called you.

Our nation is compared to an olive tree.

 

If we think about what happens to olives, they are crushed, pressed and refined in order to turn them into the rich olive oil whose light is clear and pure.

This is a metaphor for our nation. We are put through exile, crushed and pressed by our enemy. But instead of feeling low, vulnerable, downtrodden- we produce beautiful olive oil. This is what we do with our suffering.

The mitzva of lighting candles is coming up and the best way to fulfill it is with olive oil. What is the message? As we watch our oil-lit menorah flicker, we internalize the concept that mitzvos performed with hard work, effort and toil – mitzvos that we were trampled like olives in a press- produce the most beautiful light of all.