Parasha Thoughts
By Rabbi Yitzchak Ariel
Parshat Tetzaveh begins with the description of the oil that was used to light the menorah in the Bet Hamikdash. The Torah tells us that the oil used needs to be ‘zach’ (pure) and ‘katit’ (pressed). Rashi explains that “pure olive oil†means that it must be only oil and not even a tiny bit of sediment can be mixed in. He further explains that they used to first press the olives by hand and only a drop of oil would come out. Then they would crush the olives using a mill to extract the rest of the oil.
The “pressed†olive oil that we are required to use is that drop that is extracted by hand. One of the commentaries offers a remarkable and profound insight into these requirements. It is well known that the menorah in the Bet Hamikdash represents the Torah as they both function as a source of light and radiance which properly guide a person in the dark. Based on this, the Torah is teaching us important principles that are necessary for our involvement in Torah. Just as the olive oil must be pure, without sediment, so too we must have our minds completely devoted to our study of Torah and performance of mitzvoth at their appropriate times. We cannot allow our minds to be occupied with all sorts of other thoughts that are unrelated to what we are doing, be it learning, praying, or performing any other mitzvah.
Similarly, just as the olive oil must be hand pressed, we must put in our own effort when it comes to Torah and mitzvoth. One drop of hand pressed olive oil is much more valuable than bottles full of machine pressed oil. So too one mitzvah or one page of learning with effort and toil is much more valuable than many mitzvoth or pages of learning in the eyes of Hashem.