"And you will command the Children of Israel that they should take for you clear olive oil ..."
~ Exodus 27:20
Rashi points out that "clear" means "without sediment."
When I initially read this Rashi I said, in all my eloquence, "Duh." Doesn't "clear" mean "without sediment?"
Then it occurred to me that oil can be clear with sediment settled at the bottom.
And that got me thinking - wouldn't that be good enough?
Perhaps Rashi is pointing out that the answer, in fact, is no.
It sure would have been easier, in the desert, with few tools, and little time, to simply comply with God's command by producing clear-enough oil.
But
maybe, for that which matters most in life, we are asked to go the
extra mile. Even if few notice, even if it doesn't seem to be
drastically different, we are taught that the difference between good
and best is a degree of effort.
For whom, and for what, do we show that concern?
Guest posting by
Jeffrey L. Korbman
Campaign Director
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest
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