Importance of the Olive
Question
In Jewish tradition, what is the significance of the olive? From a culinary standpoint, it is something relatively minor. In modern times, it is eaten primarily as an accessory in salads and as a pizza topping, but is by no means a staple crop. It is also used to make olive oil, which is not the most popular type of oil, probably in part because of its high cost. In the Temple in Jerusalem, it was used to light the menorah, and some people use it for their Chanukah candles. With all that in mind, why is the olive valued so heavily more than other things we eat way more often?
Answers
The olive oil that was used in the Menorah was of the purest kind. Our Sages teach that the oil symbolizes the purity of the Jewish People; they do not intermarry amongst the other nations of the world. In the same way that oil always separates from water when they are mixed, so too the Jewish People remain separate from the other nations.
As well as that, our Sages teach that olives release their oil only when they are crushed. Likewise, the Jewish People normally reach fully upwards to Hashem only when they are being crushed and distressed by their enemies.
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