In 1949, when the modern State of Israel was newly established, its Provisional Council sought to create an official emblem that would represent the nation’s sovereignty. Among 450 submissions, graphic artists Gavriel and Maxim Shamir’s design was chosen – a menorah (the seven-branched ceremonial lampstand) flanked by two olive branches. According to Gavriel Shamir, they chose the olive branches to express “the Jewish people’s love of peace.”
However, there is a deeper religious significance to this design, which comes from a section of the biblical Book of Zechariah that is read during the festival of Hanukkah.
The passage presents what appears to be a fundamental contradiction. It begins with a universal vision:
Though Orthodox Jews do not proselytize, traditional Jewish commentators interpret this as referring to non-Jews who, moved by what they see, will convert to Judaism after witnessing divine miracles in the messianic era.
Yet immediately following this universal vision, the prophet delivers a harsh rebuke to Joshua, the High Priest:
The great biblical commentator Rashi explains that these “filthy garments” symbolize the intermarriage of Joshua’s sons with non-Jews and his insufficient opposition to foreign influences affecting his children.
This juxtaposition presents a seeming paradox: How can the Jewish people both welcome outsiders while simultaneously guarding against outside influences? It is precisely this tension that Zechariah’s next vision addresses.
The prophet sees a striking image:
What is the significance of this vision of a menorah flanked by olive trees on either side? According to the sages, “Just as olive oil illuminates, so too the Temple provides light to the entire world, as it says, ‘and nations will walk by your light, kings by your shining radiance'” (Isaiah 60:3). The olive trees thus represent the Jewish people’s responsibility to be a light unto the nations, providing the fuel – the olive oil – that powers the menorah’s illumination of the world.
This symbolic role was even built into the Second Temple itself. According to the Talmud (Menachot 86b), the Temple’s windows were constructed with their wide part facing outward – the opposite of normal window construction. King Solomon designed them this way to show that the Temple’s spiritual light was meant to illuminate the outside world, rather than drawing light from it.
The menorah vision thus resolves the earlier paradox: The Jewish people are meant to be the source of light, not its recipients. They can and should welcome those drawn to their light while ensuring that the direction of spiritual influence flows outward rather than inward.
This understanding perfectly frames the historical context of Hanukkah, which commemorates the Maccabees’ victory over the Greek empire and their Hellenistic Jewish allies in the 2nd century BCE. The Maccabees weren’t fighting against the idea of sharing wisdom with other nations – rather, they fought against the reversal of the proper flow of spiritual illumination. The Greeks, whom ancient Jewish sages compared to darkness, should have received light from Jewish teachings, as Zechariah describes at the beginning of his prophecy. Instead, Hellenistic influences were seeping into Jewish practice, just as had happened with Joshua’s sons.
While the Shamir brothers may have intended the olive branches in Israel’s emblem to represent peace, the prophetic vision of Zechariah suggests an additional layer of meaning. An ancient Jewish teaching (Midrash Tanchuma) connects this symbolism to an even earlier biblical event, stating: “The Lord said: ‘Just as the dove brought light to the world [referring to Noah’s dove], so too you, the Jewish people, who are compared to the dove should bring olive oil and light it before Me.'”
The combination of the menorah and olive branches in Israel’s national emblem thus carries a profound message: Israel’s dual mission to seek peace while also serving as a moral and spiritual light to the nations. This interpretation suggests that Israel’s role is not to be influenced by outside forces, but rather to maintain its unique identity while providing spiritual and moral illumination to the world – a mission as relevant today as it was in ancient times.
