If our olives had eyes: Root & Branch brings Christians to connect with Israel

We also look forward to the blossoming of Root & Branch, the first olive harvest pilgrimage bringing Christians to Israel to harvest olives and, in doing so, be a physical blessing and provide emotional support for Israelis impacted by the war.

Two years on, Root & Branch has become a “wild” success. Dozens of people have participated. We’ve harvested tons of olives and pressed the olives into a pristine oil that our friend and longtime olive grower and oil maker, Guy Rilov at Makura Farms, said is “not bad – which for me means very good.” The vision of Root & Branch all along has been to use the olives to generate revenue to fund projects that help Israelis impacted by the war.

At a meeting in the US recently, we realized that the new anointing oil we’ve produced as the first product to be sold to generate revenue is unique in many ways. First, unlike other anointing oils marketed to Christians, Root & Branch’s is made from 100% olive oil, from the olives that we harvested. No soy or other cheap oils are used and falsely passed off as something biblical. When we think of anointing, we know that was only done with olive oil. We envision the scene where a young King David, his red hair radiant, was glistening from the oil poured on him by the prophet Samuel.

“Now the Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons…’ Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord gripped David from that day on” (1 Samuel 16:1,13).

The Root & Branch anointing oil has a magnificent aroma, a special blend of all biblical fragrances. No cheap perfume scents here. It includes spikenard (nard), a very expensive fragrance mentioned in the Book of John with which Mary washes Jesus’s feet, using her hair, and so valuable that the small amount she used was worth almost a year’s wages.

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3).

We also realized that the Root & Branch anointing oil is the only one with a pedigree. Each bottle contains oil from a blend of olives that we and our teams of volunteers picked; they tell the story of Israel and connect people to the Land in a way that nobody else could.

If our olives had eyes, they would have witnessed stories of modern suffering and heroism, along with an inspiration of the ancient history of the Jewish people in their Land, and Christians today showing their love and support.

Some of the olives from centuries-old trees would tell us stories from archaeological discoveries at the Tel Ashkelon National Park, where we spent days harvesting. This is the site believed to be associated with Samson and Delilah. Amid the serenity of the green trees and lush lawns, we heard sounds in the distance of gun and artillery fire in Gaza. The olives would talk about growing alongside a 3,500-year-old Canaanite gate and the 1st-century Roman basilica where we prayed. Our olives would tell stories of the reinforcement of the site a thousand years later, with the remains of the medieval city walls that guarded the periphery still present.

Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, so far south as to be almost at the Egyptian border, was one of the many largely agricultural communities along the Gaza border that were attacked that morning. Six of the 13 members of the civilian rapid response team were killed, holding off waves of terrorists and well-entrenched snipers. Five other residents were kidnapped by the terrorists, stolen across the nearby border, along with the well-documented looting of private homes and communal property.

That morning, we prayed for abundance as we harvested in an empty residential neighborhood. One tree surprised us with a seemingly never-ending supply of olives that became more visible from every direction. The “tree of abundance,” as we called it, witnessed some of the most evil things on Oct. 7.

Our olives from Sderot came from the park at the intersection where terrorists breached the city and turned left to attack the police station, where a battle ensued into the night. While 53 Israelis were killed in the carnage that day, our olives witnessed numerous miracles and acts of bravery as well.

Our olives witnessed the love and commitment of the volunteers coming from the US, Canada, and Europe. They prodded rakes high into the trees, shaking the olives down to the tarps below. Some of the ones that strayed off the tarp were eagerly scooped up and placed with the hundreds of kilos of other ones, not to be left behind and miss being part of the bigger plan.

Our olives would have seen us and all the volunteers standing with heroes of Oct. 7, embracing families of hostages and thanking soldiers who gave so much. Our olives would have seen us playing with at-risk children up the road from the Sderot police station battle, some of whom are suffering additional trauma on top of the things that classify them as “at-risk” to begin with, and who wept recounting what they experienced, and then breaking into smiles reciprocating the love we brought.

If they could have jumped off the trees themselves, our olives would have done so, knowing that every drop of oil made from them was going to be used to go back into resources for these people, their families, and others.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has effusively opened the network of national parks and historic sites. Hagay Dvir, IPNA Tourist product manager, noted: “We love everything about this project – bringing people to the national parks, experiencing history through volunteering, harvesting olives, and putting them to good use to support Israelis in need. It is a great collaboration that’s yielding incredible fruit.”

People often use the terms “crushed” and “pressed” when describing challenges or being harried. But with olives, crushing and pressing is positive, and essential. In fact, olives are a fruit that cannot be eaten straight off a tree; they need to be crushed and pressed, or cured.

Guy Rilov is not just a long-time olive grower but brings biblical history and philosophy into his trade, which is his mission. Makura Farm is located in the Carmel Mountains, near the site where the world’s first olive remains were discovered.

If our olives had eyes, they would be witness to all of these remarkable things that make Root & Branch so special, particularly at Tu Bishvat time, the Jewish New Year for Trees.

There’s a much bigger vision we have to plant roots and make genuine relationships, deeper, wider, and ongoing. We have been blessed by the partnership with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and look forward to much more together, connecting future volunteers to the Land and the people across historic sites throughout Israel. We look forward to realizing our long-term vision to plant 1,200 olive trees, and other activities that will bring tourists to connect with olives in Israel and the Bible year-round.

Planting for the future is steeped in Jewish tradition and is particularly relevant as we celebrate Tu Bishvat. A well-known story from the Talmud teaches this lesson. One day, Honi the Wise One, also known as Honi the Circle Maker, was walking down a road and saw a man planting a carob tree. Honi asked the man, “How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?”

The man replied, “Seventy years.”

Honi asked, “And do you think you will live another seventy years and eat the fruit of this tree?”

The man answered, “Perhaps not. However, when I was born into this world, I found many carob trees planted by my father and grandfather. Just as they planted trees for me, I am planting trees for my children and grandchildren so they will be able to eat the fruit of these trees” (Tractate Taanit 23a).

It’s customary to plant trees in Israel on Tu Bishvat or to send money to plant trees in the Land. Whether one joins us to harvest olives in person or not, everyone can contribute to our bigger vision of planting trees, one in memory of each of the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre.

There’s another thing that emphasizes the significance and redemptive nature of planting trees and can bring Jews and Christians together further. Planting trees in the Land of Israel is so important, there is a saying that if the Messiah comes while you are planting a tree, first finish planting and then go and greet him. It’s not just a tree – it’s a physical and spiritual relationship.  ■