Standing Strong

A Messianic Jewish Congregation with an outreach to Believers in Israel

Richard helps A. “milk” a tree.

Standing Strong

Lisa in action.

Harvested olives on the blanket.

Destined for your table - as olive oil!
Text Box: The day began early at 730 a.m. on a beautiful day out in the countryside near Jerusalem. We met the Israeli family whom we are assisting to start their own olive oil business at the olive tree field. “Y” and “A” gave us and a couple of extra friends some quick instructions, and we spread blankets and tarps underneath a tree and went to work. Removing the olives for harvest isn’t exactly like picking an apple off of a branch. The aim is to make one swipe along the branch, pulling your arm towards you, loosening olives as you go along. With this technique, one “milks” the branch and the olives drop to the tarp below. It is a Biblical concept to leave the ones that didn’t fall for the person who might come along and glean from the leftovers once the major harvesting has been done. There are many different types of olives, and some are good only for eating. The variety we were after this day were the kind used for their oil. I was surprised at how hard the olives were! At first I was overly concerned with trying to not step on the harvested olives laying on the tarp beside my feet. I continued to avoid stepping on them, but later on I didn’t cringe if I happened to. They’re destined to be squashed for the oil anyway, right? I was personally pleased that there weren’t many buggy friends amongst the leaves. I did see a few small webs in the branches, one spider that jumped, and a grasshopper. I mused that the action of harvesting olives has been done in this region for hundreds and hundreds of years, and here I was in the modern age, doing the exact same thing they did back then. We chattered amongst ourselves as we worked, ate a picnic lunch in the shade of one of the trees, and praised Adonai for sending an occasional cloud to give us shade and a cooling breeze. My hands felt smoother from the exfoliating by the olive leaves as I pulled my fingers over them, and I was pricked only a few times by the trees. It was not hard or demanding work, other than being in the heat and the needed repetition and determination to continue, but it did leave us physically tired and ready for sleep that night! (OK, that’s the nice way of saying that I was totally weary!) The family we are helping were positively delighted at the harvest they received at the hands of their friends because in one day they bagged what took them an entire season to accomplish last year! The olive harvest is the final harvest in the land of Israel. There will be no more harvesting of any growing thing after this harvest season ends here in early December. The fruit of the olive tree is not all the tree offers. The wood of these trees is crafted by local artisans into the legendary Israeli olive wood figurines of nativity sets, camels, endless religious items, plates, ornate goblets, etc. Under the sidebar heading “Help Us” is a page of some items that we have decided are unique amongst the bounty of olive wood creations here. We hope you will take a look. They are not expensive, and with your purchase you will be directly supporting people in Israel.

Olive harvesting                          by Lisa Bristol

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