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[[Image:Menorah 0307.jpg|thumb|A reconstruction of the Menorah of the Temple]]
[[Image:Menorah 0307.jpg|thumb|A reconstruction of the Menorah of the Temple]]
[[Image:YarmulkeAndMenorah.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Kippa]] and Menorah from the Harry S Truman collection]][[Image:Pekiin tablet.jpg|thumb|right|151px|[[Second Temple]] period stone tablet from a [[synagogue]] in [[Peki'in]], [[Israel]].]][[Image:Menorah-antignos.jpg|thumb|right|151px|Coin issued by ''Mattathias Antigonus'' c. [[40 BCE]].]]
[[Image:YarmulkeAndMenorah.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Kippa]] and Menorah from the Harry S Truman collection]][[Image:Pekiin tablet.jpg|thumb|right|151px|[[Second Temple]] period stone tablet from a [[synagogue]] in [[Peki'in]], [[Israel]].]][[Image:Menorah-antignos.jpg|thumb|right|151px|Coin issued by ''Mattathias Antigonus'' c. [[40 BC]].]]
The '''menorah''' ({{lang-he|מְנוֹרָה}}), is a seven-branched [[candelabrum]] which has been a symbol of [[Judaism]] for almost 3000 years and is the emblem of [[Israel]]. It was used in the ancient [[Temple in Jerusalem|Holy Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]]. Lit by [[olive oil]] in the [[Tabernacle (Judaism)|Tabernacle]] and the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple]], the menorah is one of the oldest symbols of the [[Jew]]ish people. It is said to symbolize the [[burning bush]] as seen by [[Moses]] on [[Mount Horeb]] ({{bibleverse||Exodus|3|HE}}).
The '''menorah''' ({{lang-he|מְנוֹרָה}}), is a seven-branched [[candelabrum]] which has been a symbol of [[Judaism]] for almost 3000 years and is the emblem of [[Israel]]. It was used in the ancient [[Temple in Jerusalem|Holy Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]]. Lit by [[olive oil]] in the [[Tabernacle (Judaism)|Tabernacle]] and the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple]], the menorah is one of the oldest symbols of the [[Jew]]ish people. It is said to symbolize the [[burning bush]] as seen by [[Moses]] on [[Mount Horeb]] ({{bibleverse||Exodus|3|HE}}).


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[[Image:Arch of Titus Menorah.png|600px|center|Depiction of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus]]
[[Image:Arch of Titus Menorah.png|600px|center|Depiction of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus]]


The menorah probably remained in the Temple of Peace in Rome until the city was sacked. The first sacking was by the [[Visigoths]] under [[Alaric I]] in [[410]] CE.
The menorah probably remained in the Temple of Peace in Rome until the city was sacked. The first sacking was by the [[Visigoths]] under [[Alaric I]] in [[410]] AD.


Most likely, the menorah was looted by the [[Vandals]] in [[Sack of Rome (455)|sacking of Rome]] in [[455]] CE, and taken to their capital, [[Carthage]].<ref>[http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1681&Itemid=27 Edward Gibbon: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire] (Volume 7: Chapter XLI. From the Online Library of Liberty. The J. B. Bury edition, in 12 volumes.)</ref> The [[Byzantine army]] under General [[Belisarius]] might have removed it 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]] where there is no record of it, although it could have been destroyed when Jerusalem was pillaged by the Persians in [[614]].
Most likely, the menorah was looted by the [[Vandals]] in [[Sack of Rome (455)|sacking of Rome]] in [[455]] AD, and taken to their capital, [[Carthage]].<ref>[http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1681&Itemid=27 Edward Gibbon: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire] (Volume 7: Chapter XLI. From the Online Library of Liberty. The J. B. Bury edition, in 12 volumes.)</ref> The [[Byzantine army]] under General [[Belisarius]] might have removed it 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]] where there is no record of it, although it could have been destroyed when Jerusalem was pillaged by the Persians in [[614]].


==Modern use==
==Modern use==
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Image:Menora Titus.jpg|A drawing on the depiction of the Menorah seen on the [[Arch of Titus]] in [[Rome]], [[Italy]].
Image:Menora Titus.jpg|A drawing on the depiction of the Menorah seen on the [[Arch of Titus]] in [[Rome]], [[Italy]].
Image:Coat of arms of Israel.svg|The [[Coat of Arms of Israel]] shows a menorah surrounded by an [[olive]] branch on each side and the writing "ישראל" (Israel) based on its depiction on the Arch of Titus.
Image:Coat of arms of Israel.svg|The [[Coat of Arms of Israel]] shows a menorah surrounded by an [[olive]] branch on each side and the writing "ישראל" (Israel) based on its depiction on the Arch of Titus.
Image:Francesco Hayez 017.jpg|The Menorah is seen being sacked as the [[Holy Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]] was being destroyed by the [[Roman army]]. ([[70 C.E.]])
Image:Francesco Hayez 017.jpg|The Menorah is seen being sacked as the [[Holy Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]] was being destroyed by the [[Roman army]]. ([[70 AD]])
Image:Bemah Menorah by David Ascalon Ascalon Studios.jpg|A contemporary wall-mounted decorative synagogue menorah by [[David Ascalon]]
Image:Bemah Menorah by David Ascalon Ascalon Studios.jpg|A contemporary wall-mounted decorative synagogue menorah by [[David Ascalon]]


Revision as of 21:15, 29 August 2009

A reconstruction of the Menorah of the Temple
Kippa and Menorah from the Harry S Truman collection
Second Temple period stone tablet from a synagogue in Peki'in, Israel.
File:Menorah-antignos.jpg
Coin issued by Mattathias Antigonus c. 40 BC.

The menorah (Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה), is a seven-branched candelabrum which has been a symbol of Judaism for almost 3000 years and is the emblem of Israel. It was used in the ancient Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Lit by olive oil in the Tabernacle and the Temple, 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 Horeb (Exodus 3).

(parshat terumah) 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 religious order in Judaism.

Hanukkah

Main articles: Hanukkah and Menorah (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) 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 make new pure oil. The Hanukkah menorah therefore has eight main branches, plus a ninth branch set apart for the Shamash (servant) light which is used to start the other lights. This type of menorah is called a hanukiah in Modern Hebrew.

Origin

The Torah states that God revealed the design for the menorah to Moses. It is believed that the seven branches represented the seven days of the week[citation needed]. It symbolized that God wanted to have a relationship with His people on a daily basis, not only on the sabbath day[citation needed]. According to some readings, Maimonides stated that the menorah in the Temple had straight branches, not rounded as is often depicted.[1] 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. Some claim that the discrepancy results from the fact that as the menorah was made from pure gold, which is quite soft, the arms were bent upward into a curved shape while transporting it by carrying it.

The shape of the menorah, with its botanical specifications, may have been based on that of the plant Salvia palestina.[2]

Fate

The original menorah was made for the Tabernacle, and is recorded as being present until the Jordan was crossed. When the Tabernacle is pitched in Shiloh (Joshua 18:1), it is safe to assume that the menorah was also present. However, no mention is made of it during the years that the ark of the covenant was moving about the land in the times of Samuel and Saul. Indeed, there is no further mention at all of the menorah, even in Solomon's temple, as he creates ten candlesticks (2 Chronicles 4:7). These are definitely recorded as being taken away to Babylon by the invading armies under the general Nebuzar-Adan (Jeremiah 52:19) some centuries later.

During the restoration of worship after the captivity in Babylon, no mention is made of the return of the menorah or of any of Solomon's candlesticks, but only of "vessels" (Ezra 1:9–10). Since however the Temple was an enclosed place with no natural light, some means of illumination must have existed.

Although apocryphal, the Maccabees record that Antiochus Epiphanes took away the candlesticks (plural) when he invaded and robbed the temple as it was in those days (1 maccabees 1:21). The later record of the making of "new holy vessels" may refer to the manufacture of new candlesticks (1 maccabees 4:49). There is thereafter no Biblical track of the fate of the menorah.

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. This frieze is the best known image of what the menorah in the Temple looked like. As such it is this depiction of the Menorah which appears on Israel's Coat of Arms.

Depiction of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus
Depiction of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus

The menorah probably remained in the Temple of Peace in Rome until the city was sacked. The first sacking was by the Visigoths under Alaric I in 410 AD.

Most likely, the menorah was looted by the Vandals in sacking of Rome in 455 AD, and taken to their capital, Carthage.[3] The Byzantine army under General Belisarius might have removed it 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 where there is no record of it, although it could have been destroyed when Jerusalem was pillaged by the Persians in 614.

Modern use

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 (and also the Knesset Menorah) based on the depiction of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy.

In other cultures

The kinara is also, like the menora, a seven-branch candleholder which is 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 Hanukiah (which was modeled after the menora) during Hanukkah.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Menorah.
  1. ^ The shape of the Menorah of the Temple (Avodah Mailing List. Volume 12: Number 065. Friday, December 26 2003)
  2. ^ JTS Taste of Torah commentary, 18 June 2005
  3. ^ Edward Gibbon: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 7: Chapter XLI. From the Online Library of Liberty. The J. B. Bury edition, in 12 volumes.)

See also

Template:Link FA

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