Nah! I am not referring to the lobbying power of the petroleum industry. I am talking about olive oil. What can olive oil teach us about influence?
There are four properties to olive oil that give us keen insight into how to be a successful influencer.
1. Oil is extracted from olives through crushing them.
2. Oil deeply permeates every substance with which it interacts.
3. Oil does not mix with other liquids.
4. Oil ultimately rises to the top in every environment.
The Rebbe draws a four-point lesson in spiritual influencing from the four properties of olive oil.
1. The crushing of the olive represents the mindset one needs to adopt when trying to impact another person. It must come from a place of humility, a sense of devotion rather than a sense of self-aggrandizement.
2. When approaching another person to influence them spiritually, one must demonstrate love, caring, and closeness to them. Your desire to influence them is not for your own accomplishment, but rather due to your sincere interest in their welfare.
3. When stepping out of your own environment to share with another person, one must careful not to allow the “outside environment” to affect them. Oil does not mix with other liquids.
4. While at first it is not necessarily evident, ultimately, your success in influencing another Jew, results in a spiritual exaltedness for you. By assisting another in their spiritual growth, that brings about an advancement in your own relationship with Hashem.
Chanukah is here. Friends don’t let friends let Chanukah slip by without observing the holiday. Reach out to your fellow Jews. Make sure they have candles and a Menorah. Invite them to a Chanukah celebration in the community. (See below for a comprehensive list of what Chabad is offering this year in our community.) Be an oily influencer. Not the greasy type. The loving and caring type.
The Rebbe told my parents when they got married, “If you will make it bright and warm for others around you, Hashem will make it bright and warm for you.”
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin