Menorah

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Yarmulke and Menorah from the Harry S Truman collection

The menorah (Hebrew: מנורה), is a seven branched candelabrum lit by olive oil in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem. The menorah is one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish people. It is said to symbolize the burning bush as seen by Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25).

1 Ancient use
2 Hanukkah
3 Origin
4 Fate
5 Modern use
6 In other cultures
7 References
8 See also
9 External links

A coin issued by Mattathias Antigonus, c. 40 BCE

According to the Bible, a menorah was used in the Tabernacle (the portable sanctuary used by the Jews) and later in its successor, the Temple in Jerusalem. It was one of the three chief furnishings of the Temple.^[1] It was beaten from a single piece of gold. A lamp burning olive oil was located at the end of each of the seven branches. Since the destruction of the Temple ground, the seven-branched menorah has had no formal role in Jewish worship. Because of the sanctity of the Temple and its appointments, some authorities forbid the manufacture of menorah resembling the one used there.^[2]

The Bible (Exodus 25:31-40) lists the instructions for the construction of the menorah used in the temple:

31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof; 33 three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower; so for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 34 And in the candlestick four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof. 35 And a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 36 Their knops and their branches shall be of one piece with it; the whole of it one beaten work of pure gold. 37 And thou shalt make the lamps thereof, seven; and they shall light the lamps thereof, to give light over against it. 38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39 Of a talent of pure gold shall it be made, with all these vessels. 40 And see that thou make them after their pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount.

The construction of the temple menorah was considered a religeous order in Judaism.

Main article: Hanukkah

The Menorah is also a symbol closely associated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. According to the Talmud, after the desecration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, there was only enough sealed (and therefore not desecrated by idolatry) consecrated olive oil left to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days which was enough time to get new oil as well as finish rebuilding the Temple. The Hanukkah Menorah therefore has not seven, but nine candle holders. The four holders on either side are to represent the eight day celebration of the miracle of oil, while the one in the middle, called the Shamash, is used to light the others. While this type of menorah is technically called a Hanukiah, the "menorah of Hanukkah" is sometimes simply called a menorah.

The Torah states that God revealed the design for the menorah to Moses. A plant that grows in Israel called the moriah typically has seven branches and resembles a menorah, leading to the theory that it provided the inspiration for its design. According to some readings, Maimonides stated that the menorah in the Temple had straight branches, not rounded as is often depicted.^[3] Jewish depictions of the menorah dating back to Temple times, along with the depiction on the Arch of Titus showing the Romans taking the looted Menorah to Rome after the Temple's destruction, contradict this claim.

Depiction of the Menorah otydn the Arch of Titus

A second theory to the origin of the design of the menorah is based on what is known about ancient Hebrew cosmology. According to this theory, the seven branches represent the seven heavenly bodies known at the time, namely the sun and the moon, as well as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The Jewish historian Josephus alludes to this in the Third Book of his Antiquities of the Jews. In it, he identifies what he interprets as Egyptian and Greek pagan influences on the design of the Tabernacle and its contents. He writes:

"...for if any one do without prejudice, and with judgment, look upon these things, he will find that they were every one made in way of imitation and representation of the universe...and as to the seven lamps upon the candlesticks, they referred to the course of the planets, of which that is the number.... (Antiq. 3.6.7; 3.7.7)".

A third theory is that the menorah originated as the tree of life symbolizing the mother goddess Asherah.^[4] In the Pentateuch, it has been purged of all polytheistic symbolism.

The fate of the menorah used in the Second Temple is recorded by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who states that it was brought to Rome and carried along during the triumph of Vespasian and Titus. A depiction of this event is preserved on the Arch of Titus that still stands today in Rome.

The menorah probably remained in the Temple of Peace in Rome until the city was sacked by the Vandals in 455 CE, and was brought to their capital, Carthage. But the Byzantine army under General Belisarius took it back in 533 and brought it to Constantinople. According to Procopius, it was carried through the streets of Constantinople during Belisarius' triumphal procession. Procopius adds that the object was later sent back to Jerusalem. This may be a pious legend.

Many synagogues display either a menorah or an artistic representation of a menorah. In addition, synagogues feature a continually-lit lamp in front of the Ark, where the Torah scroll is kept. Called the ner tamid, this lamp represents the continually-lit menorah used in Temple times. A menorah appears in the Coat of arms of the State of Israel.

The kinara is a seven-branch candleholder associated with the African American festival of Kwanzaa. One candle is lit on each day of the week-long celebration, in a similar manner as the menorah during Hanukkah.