פרשת תצוה

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

Exodus 27:20

And you shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.

רש"י על שמות כ״ז:כ׳:א׳

ואתה תצוה. זך. בְּלִי שְׁמָרִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ בִמְנָחוֹת מְגַרְגְּרוֹ בְרֹאשׁ הַזַּיִת וְכוּ':

Rashi on Exodus 27:20:1

ואתה תצוה ... זך Pure: Without sediment, as we learned in Men. (86a): “He allows it to ripen at the top of the olive tree, etc.”

רש"י על שמות כ״ז:כ׳:ב׳

כתית. הַזֵּיתִים כּוֹתֵשׁ בַּמַּכְתֶּשֶׁת וְאֵינוֹ טוֹחֲנָן בָּרֵחַיִם, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בוֹ שְׁמָרִים, וְאַחַר שֶׁהוֹצִיא טִפָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה מַכְנִיסָן לָרֵחַיִם וְטוֹחֲנָן; וְהַשֶּׁמֶן הַשֵּׁנִי פָּסוּל לַמְּנוֹרָה וְכָשֵׁר לִמְנָחוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר – וְלֹא כָתִית לַמְּנָחוֹת (מנחות פ"ו):

Rashi on Exodus 27:20:2

Crushed: He must crush the olives in a mortar, but he may not grind them in a mill, so that they will not contain sediment. After he has extracted the first drop [of oil], he places them [the olives] into a mill and grinds them. The [resulting] second oil is unfit for the menorah but is fit for meal offerings, as it is said: “crushed for lighting,” but not crushed for meal offerings. -[from Men. 86a]

רש"י על שמות כ״ז:כ׳:ג׳

להעלות נר תמיד. מַדְלִיק עַד שֶׁתְּהֵא שַׁלְהֶבֶת עוֹלָה מֵאֵלֶיהָ (שבת כ"א):

Rashi on Exodus 27:20:3

to kindle the lamps continually: Heb. לְהַעִלֹת, lit., to cause to rise. [The kohen] shall light it until the flame rises by itself. -[from Shab. 21a]

מנחות פ״ו א:כ״א

תא שמע דתניא שמן זית מזיתו מכאן אמרו זית ראשון מגלגלו בראש הזית וכונסו לבית הבד וטוחנו בריחים ונותנו בסלין שמן היוצא ממנו זה היה ראשון

Menachot 86a:21

Come and hear... that which is taught in a baraita. The verse states that the olive oil used for the kindling of the Candelabrum is to be: “Refined oil of an olive” (Exodus 27:20), which is interpreted to mean that the olives should be so ripe that the oil drips from them while they are still hanging on their olive tree, without them needing to be pressed. From here the Sages said that for the first olive harvest, one allows all the olives to ripen [megalgelo], picks the entire crop and brings it into the olive press, and he grinds it with a millstone and places it in wicker baskets, and this oil that would flow from it would be the first grade of oil.

מנחות פ״ו א:כ״ב

טען בקורה שמן היוצא ממנו זה היה שני וחזר ופרק טחן וטען זה היה שלישי הראשון למנורה והשאר למנחות וכן זית שני

Menachot 86a:22

The baraita continues: Then one presses down upon the olives with a wooden beam. As for the oil that flows from it, this would be the second grade of oil. And then one would remove the crushed olives from the baskets and grind them, and press down upon them with a beam or stones, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this would be the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings. And the same process was similarly used for the second olive harvest.

מנחות פ״ו א:כ״ג

וזית שלישי עוטנו בבית הבד עד שילקה ומעלה לראש הגג ועושה אותו כמין תמרה עד שיזובו מימיו וכונסו לבית הבד וטוחנו בריחים ונותנו בסלין ושמן היוצא ממנו זה היה ראשון

Menachot 86a:23

The baraita continues: And for the third olive harvest, the entire crop is packed into a vat in the building that houses the olive press, where it remains until it softens, and then one raises it up to the roof and makes it into a sort of heap, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, and leaves it there until the fluid it produced while in the vat flows away. And then one brings it to the olive press and grinds it with a millstone and places it into wicker baskets. As for the oil that would then flow from it, this would be the first grade of oil.

מנחות פ״ו א:כ״ד

טען בקורה שמן היוצא ממנו זה היה שני פרק חזר וטחן וטען זה היה שלישי הראשון למנורה והשאר למנחות

Menachot 86a:24

Then one presses down upon it with a wooden beam. As for the oil that would then flow from it, this would be the second grade of oil. And then one would remove the crushed olives from the baskets and grind them, and press down upon them with a beam or stones, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this would be the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings.

רמב״ם הלכות איסורי המזבח פרק ז׳

8.
There are nine categories of oil, depending on the process in which they were prepared. What is implied? When one picks olives at the top of an olive tree, selects them one by one,24 crushes them and puts them into a basket, the oil that flows from them is considered in the first category. If, afterwards, he loads a beam upon them [to press them],25 the oil which flows from them is of the second category. If he loads [a beam upon them] a second time,26 the oil which flows from them is of the third category.
When he picked olives in a mixture,27 brought them to the roof, selected them one by one, crushed them, and placed them into a basket, the oil which flows from them is of the fourth category. If, afterwards, he loads a beam upon them [to press them], the oil which flows from them is of the fifth category. If he loads [a beam upon them] a second time, the oil which flows from them is of the sixth category.
When he picks olives28 and loads them in the vat until they begin to decompose, he then takes them up [to the roof], dries them, crushes them, and places them in a basket.29 The oil which flows from them is of the seventh category. If, afterwards, he loads a beam upon them [to press them], the oil which flows from them is of the eighth category. If he loads [a beam upon them] a second time, the oil which flows from them is of the ninth category.
10.
Only the first, fourth, and seventh categories are acceptable for the Menorah, for [Exodus 27:20] states: "crushed for the light," i.e., for the Menorah,36 only that which flows after [the olives] are crushed alone37 are acceptable. They are all acceptable for meal offerings.38

Rabbi Meshulam Zusha of Anipoli (1718–1800): Reb Zusha was laying on his deathbed surrounded by his disciples. He was crying and no one could comfort him. One student asked his Rebbe, "Why do you cry? You were almost as wise as Moses and as kind as Abraham." Reb Zusha answered, "When I pass from this world and appear before the Heavenly Tribunal, they won't ask me, 'Zusha, why weren't you as wise as Moses or as kind as Abraham,' rather, they will ask me, 'Zusha, why weren't you Zusha?' Why didn't I fulfill my potential, why didn't I follow the path that could have been mine."