Olives, Olives, and More Olives

PURIM IS ALMOST HERE!

                    

 

 Tetzaveh’s First Mitzvah

וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה  אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃

Now you,
command the Children of Israel,
that they may fetch you
oil of olives, beaten-out-until-clear,
for the light,  to draw up a Ner Tamid/ light always.

 

בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֩ מִח֨וּץ לַפָּרֹ֜כֶת אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הָעֵדֻ֗ת יַעֲרֹךְ֩ אֹת֨וֹ אַהֲרֹ֧ן וּבָנָ֛יו מֵעֶ֥רֶב עַד־בֹּ֖קֶר לִפְנֵ֣י -ה חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹ֣רֹתָ֔ם מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {ס}        

In the Tent of Appointed-Times,
outside the curtain that is before the Ark of the Covenant,
Aharon and his sons are to arrange it,
from sunset until daybreak
before the presence of Adonai—
a law for the ages, throughout your generations,
on the part of the Children of Israel. 

 

OLIVE QUIZ II

------------------------------------------------------------

1.     Who consumes more olive oil-- Israeli Jews or Israeli Arabs?   

2.    Who actually consumes more olive oil,  Israelis or Greeks?   

3.    Olive oil’s smoke point is about what temperature Fahrenheit?

a.    325-350

b.    355-375

c.      380-410

d.    420-440

e.    There is smoke at any temperature when I make latkes.

 

4.    True or false: The oldest olive tree in the middle east is probably in Bethlehem, held to be 4000 years old.   

 5.  True or false: The Menorah in the Mishkan was fueled by hand presed olive oil. 

6.    Which country has the most stringent standards and testing system in the world to prevent counterfeit olive oil being exported?    

7.    True or False: Suri Olives used to be grown all over the land of  Israel, but Roman overuse/abuse made  them extinct during the Bar Kochba revolt.  

 

8.    Which of these does the most damage to an olive tree during harvest:

a.    Harvesting by hand

b.    Harvesting by beating the branches with sticks

c.     Harvesting by shaking the entire tree

d.    Harvesting fruit two years consecutively

e.    Harvesting by guilt. “I’m fine, you keep your fruit, I’ll just sit here and starve to death.”

 

9.    True or False: It takes 7 liters of olives to make one liter of olive oil.   

10.                    Olive oil was used in Roman baths to cleanse the skin, as it would be rubbed all over the body, and then the oil and dirt would be scraped off with a stick called a

a.    Lokum

b.    Strigil

c.     Bakula

d.    Gubernaculum

e.    Vaxaphobian