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While sources agree about the identity of four of the five ingredients of anointing oil, the identity of the fifth, kaneh bosem, has been a matter of debate.The Bible indicates that it was an aromatic cane or grass, which was imported from a distant land by way of the spice routes, and that a related plant grows in Israel (kaneh bosem is referenced as a cultivated plant in the Song of Songs 4:14.
The olive tree and its oil were a major component in the Ancient Israelite society, and have been important to the Jewish people for millennia. [1] [2] Olives are often mentioned in Jewish religious texts and are generally seen as a symbol of peace, [3] [4] wisdom, [5] and vitality. [6]
The Seven Species (Hebrew: שִׁבְעַת הַמִינִים, Shiv'at HaMinim) are seven agricultural products—two grains and five fruits—that are listed in the Hebrew Bible as being special products of the Land of Israel. The seven species listed are wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olive (oil), and date (date honey) (Deuteronomy ...
Leviticus 24:2 specifies that pure olive oil must be used to light the menorah. While Exodus 25:37 and Numbers 8:2–3 speak of seven lights being lit, Exodus 27:20–21 and Leviticus 24:2 specifies that a single "light" must be lit "continually", and must burn "from evening to morning".
The Bible records olive oil being applied to the sick and poured into wounds. [n 2] [11] Known sources date from times when anointment already served a religious function; therefore, anointing was also used to combat the malicious influence of demons in Persia, Armenia, and Greece. [2]
Based on this verse and additional descriptions given in Deuteronomy 6:11, Deuteronomy 28:40, Joshua 24:13 and 2 Kings 18:32, olive oil appears to have been plentiful. Excavations at Tel Miqne-Ekron revealed over a hundred oil presses, and the region seems to have been central to a major olive oil industry. [2]
There is also some written information about olive oil. The Bible describes its use in relation to certain sacrifices in which olive oil is used (for example, (Leviticus 6:13–14, Leviticus 7:9–12). However, these sacrificial "recipes" can be assumed to represent some of the everyday uses of oil and methods for cooking and frying. [35]
Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was enough time to make new pure oil. The Talmud states that it is prohibited to use a seven-lamp menorah outside of the Temple. [ 47 ] A Hanukkah menorah therefore has eight main branches, plus the raised ninth lamp set apart as the shamash (servant) light which is used to kindle the other lights.