04 Mar PARASHAT TESAVEH: OLIVES AND OLIVE OIL

Many commentators
noted that Parashat
Tesaveh is unusual, in
that Moshe Rabbenu’s
name does not appear
anywhere in this
Parasha. It is one of the only Parashiyot since
the account of Moshe’s birth (in Parashat
Shemot) that omits his name. The explanation
given is that after the sin of the golden calf,
G-d decided to annihilate Beneh Yisrael
and create a new nation from Moshe, but
Moshe interceded on the nation’s behalf.
He demanded that G-d forgive the people,
adding, “…and if not, then erase me from
Your book which You have written” (Shemot
32:32). A righteous person’s words are so
powerful that they have an impact even when
spoken on condition – and therefore, although
G-d indeed forgave Beneh Yisrael, Moshe’s
demand to be “erased” was fulfilled in some
way, through the omission of his name from
Parashat Tesaveh.
The question naturally arises as to why
Parashat Tesaveh was selected as the
Parasha through which Moshe’s plea would
be fulfilled. What is unique about Parashat
Tesaveh that Moshe’s name was omitted
specifically from this piece of text?
One possibility is proposed by the Hida
(Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806),

who noted that Moshe asked G-d to “erase”
him from “Sifrecha” (“Your book”). This
word could be read as a combination of the
word “Sefer” and the letter “Chaf,” which in
Gematria equals 20. Meaning, Moshe asked
to be “erased from the 20th “book” – and
Parashat Tesaveh is the 20th Parasha in the
Torah. Therefore, his name is omitted from
this Parasha.
There may, however, be an additional
explanation.
Parashat Tesaveh begins with the command
that pure olive oil be provided for the kindling
of the Menorah in the Mishkan. The Gemara
makes an enigmatic comment about olives
and olive oil, teaching that eating olives
has the effect of compromising one’s ability
to retain his Torah knowledge, whereas
consuming olive oil has the precise opposite
effect, enhancing one’s ability to remember
the Torah that he learns. The holy books
explain the meaning behind this Talmudic
teaching. An olive contains its oil within
it, and thus represents the student of Torah
who keeps his Torah knowledge for himself,
without sharing it with others. Olive oil is
what the olive has shared with the world, by
allowing itself to be crushed. Hence, olive oil
symbolizes the person who shares his Torah
with other people. Scholars might be reluctant
to teach because this takes precious time away

from their own growth and development. The
Gemara here instructs that to the contrary –
it is specifically the “olive,” the person who
keeps his Torah to himself, refusing to invest
time and effort to teach, who is prone to
forgetting what he has learned. But a person
who resembles olive oil, who humbly takes
the time to share his precious knowledge with
other people, is guaranteed to be rewarded
with the ability to retain the material he
studies, despite the sacrifice he makes for the
sake of teaching other people.
The first time the olive is mentioned in the
Torah is the story of Noah, who sent a dove
to determine whether the waters had subsided
after the flood. The dove returned with an
olive branch, informing Noah that indeed, the
world had again become habitable.
In light of what we have seen, we could
explain the significance of the olive in the
story of Noah.
The prophet Yeshayahu (54:9) refers to the
flood as “Meh Noah” – “the waters of Noah,”
and the Zohar explains that Noah is blamed
for the flood because he did not pray to G-d
to save the generation. The Arizal (Rav
Yishak Luria, Safed, 1534-1572) taught that
Noah’s soul was reincarnated in the person
of Moshe Rabbenu so that this mistake could
be rectified. Moshe achieved this rectification
when he petitioned G-d on behalf of Beneh

Yisrael following the sin of the golden calf. In
direct contrast to Noah, who made no attempt
to save his generation, Moshe appealed to
G-d to save Beneh Yisrael, going so far as to
declare that he was prepared to be “erased”
together with them.
Appropriately, then, Noah is presented with
an olive branch, a symbol of his failure to
concern himself with the needs of others,
and focusing on his own wellbeing. Moshe,
by contrast, embodied the message of olive
oil, the notion of sharing one’s blessings, and
looking out for others. Therefore, in Parashat
Tesaveh, the Parasha which speaks of the
olive oil used for the Menorah, Moshe’s name
is omitted, expressing his selflessness and
boundless concern for others, the way he was
never concerned only with himself, but rather
looked out for the needs of the people he led.