HOL I DAYS
YOU'RE GIFTED
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Ballotin.
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B.U‘E lt S• MEN. , COM • PAPIS
This holiday, create your own legend as a talented gift-giver, and with
every purchase of $22.00 or more, we'll give you the handsome red
and gold Godiva gift Ballotin filled with milk and dark chocolates.
Worth $7.50, it's yours with our compliments of the season. Then you'll
be talented. And gifted, too.
Richard Nowitz
Those who give presents from Godiva are considered gift-
givers of great talent. It's understandable. After all, they're
selecting exquisitely delicious chocolates in stunning
seasonal packaging — presents with true presence.
It is the olive tree's oil, not the tree itself, that has become a symbol of
Chanukah.
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.
Ch000
Why Is There
No Chanukah Tree?
•
YOSEF BEN
SHLOMO HAKOHEN
1HE ULTIMATE IN CRC:COWIE
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CONTINENTAL EXCLUSIVES
invites you to a special showing
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Sunday, December 11th
12 noon-5 pm
Drawing for an
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66
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1988
Special to The Jewish News
erusalem — There is an
ancient connection be-
tween Chanukah and
the olive tree. It was olive oil
that was used to light the
menorah of the Temple — a
tradition that began after the
exodus from Egypt. For it was
in the Sinai desert that the
people were commanded to
light the menorah of the
Tabernacle with "pure olive
oil of pounded olives?' Cen-
turies later, when the Mac-
cabees entered Jerusalem to
rededicate the Temple, they
found a small jar of pure olive
oil to use in the lighting of the
menorah.
It was this small amount of
oil that burned for eight days
— an event that became
known as the miracle of
Chanukah.
Our ancestors saw a link
between the menorah and the
olive tree, as expressed in the
vision of the prophet
Zechariah: "I saw a menorah
of gold . . . There were two
olive trees beside the
menorah, one on each side of
it" (Zechariah 4:2). For it is
not only the olive oil which
gives forth light, but also the
olive tree itself.
Nogah Hareuveni, director
of the Biblical Landscape
Reserve, explains in his book,
Nature In Our Biblical
Heritage, that the underside
j
of the olive leaf is covered
with miniature whitish
scales, while its upper side is
dark green. This contrast of
shades produces a unique
silvery sheen when the wind
rustles the leaves. And when
a strong wind blows through
the trees of an olive grove, one
can notice shafts of silvery
light that seem to jump from
tree to tree.
And so, perhaps it was only
natural that the prophet
Zechariah saw two olive trees
standing on either side of the
menorah. His vision became
part of the passage read by
Jews in synagogues around
the world on the Sabbath of
Chanukah.
Despite this vivid image,
Jews never developed a
custom of putting olive trees
next to their Chanukah
menorahs. One reason may be
because Jewish tradition op-
poses the cutting down of
trees.
However, while • the Jews
were encouraged to respect
trees and plant life, they were
forbidden to deify any aspect
of nature — perhaps in order
to discourage the people from
emulating the nature worship
of their pagan neighbors. For
while the prophets saw the
wisdom of the Creator
reflected in nature, they
strongly opposed the worship
of nature. And this could be
another reason why Jews do
not put trees next to the
menorah.
World Zionist Press Service