However, I have a personal relationship with their orchard. The harvesting of olives is called the masik. You know when a culture has a specific term for an activity, it is of major importance to them. The masik starts every year around the holiday of Sukkot when Aryeh and I are frequently in Israel. It is my Zionist pleasure to go to Neve Tzuf and help with the harvest.
When we arrive, we see the boughs of hundreds of trees laden with fruit in various stages of ripening. The colors range from light green to reddish to dark purple. As you reach upward to grasp a branch and remove the fruit by “milking” downward, you expect resistance. However, the olives just seem to pop off in your hand and you drop them onto the tarpaulin spread around the base of the tree. This tarpaulin is later collected up to concentrate the olives in the center; the fruits are then poured into burlap bags. The younger workers use ladders to reach the upper branches. The work is steady but not exhausting, and lunch is a welcome break, compliments of the Rosenbluhs.
Enjoyed, as always!! Happy Chanukah!!!
Are there statistics on (1) how long each of various oils burn (2) exactly which oil was used by Machabee warriors in the temple?
Also, Because I was curious about your husband’s name, I learned that Aryeh is a transliteration of the Hebrew word אריה, which means lion. It is a common Hebrew masculine given name .
Lovely! How can I get a spot helping at next year’s masik :)! Happy Chanukah and thank you for yet another en”light”ening post.