In the Torah, shemen katith, beaten olive oil, was considered the best. Made by pounding or crushing the olives with a mortar rather than using machinery, the process produces clear, pure oil, the only oil allowed to be used in our ancient temple. Called “liquid gold” the oil burned longer, but was much more difficult and expensive to produce, and likely would not have looked any different when burning on the menorah.
So, the question is why? Why go through so much trouble for a little more efficiency, when cheaper oil would have had almost the same practical effect, and been much much easier to produce?
The answer, of course, is that some things are worth the effort.
This is most definitely true of relationships. Whether a marriage, friendship, co-worker, or just acquaintance, relationships require tending and time, caring and patience. And, when they work, they are most certainly worth it.
Ever since the Tree of Life attack in 2018 our Jewish community has been working hard to secure relationships with groups and individuals outside of our network. The creation of our Jewish Communal Relations Council, now Communal Relations Council, was with the specific intent of allocating time and effort to this project. This was true after George Floyd in 2020 and the May 14th attack in 2022, and especially true after October 7th. More than ever, we need one another, for support, advocacy, and protection.
As part of this effort, we are striving to connect to communities the Jewish community has traditionally shied away from. The Chapel, a large non-denominational evangelical church, is one such community. Last night, we had our introductory activity together, watching a selection of the movie “Pain and Peace” and dialogue with its producer Rais Bhuiyan about the attack that nearly took his life just after 9/11. It was a first step, but an important one. This morning at our Leadership Breakfast, Rais is sharing his story once again to a room of political and business leaders.
Just like the shemen katith this work takes time but is well worth it. Even when you can’t see the results from the outside, you can feel them within.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex