According to the Hebrew Bible, the menorah was made out ofpure gold, and the only source of fuel that was allowed to be used to light the lamps wasfresh olive oil. The menorah was placed in theTabernacle. Biblical tradition holds thatSolomon's Temple was home to ten menorahs, which were later plundered by theBabylonians; theSecond Temple is also said to have been home to a menorah. Following theRoman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE, the menorah was taken toRome; theArch of Titus, which still stands today, famously depicts the menorah being carried away by the triumphant Romans along with other spoils of the destroyed temple. The menorah was reportedly taken to Carthage by theVandals after thesacking of Rome in 455. Byzantine historianProcopius reported that theByzantine army recovered it in 533 and brought it toConstantinople, then later returned it to Jerusalem, but many other theories have been advanced for its eventual fate, and no clear evidence of its location has been recorded sincelate antiquity.
The menorah is frequently used as a symbol inJewish art. There are no representations of the menorah from theFirst Temple period, but some examples dating from theSecond Temple period have been recorded. Menorah images that were discovered include the coins ofAntigonus II Mattathias, the lastHasmonean king of Judea, as well as on the walls of anUpper City mansion andJason's Tomb in Jerusalem, and objects such as theMagdala stone. Following the destruction of the Second Temple, the menorah came to be recognized as a distinctively Jewish symbol and was depicted on tomb walls, synagogue floors, sculptures and reliefs, as well as glass and metal objects. The menorah has been also used since then to distinguish synagogues andJewish cemeteries from the places of worship and cemeteries ofChristians andpagans.[2] The symbol has also been found in several archaeological artifacts from ancientSamaritan, Christian and Islamic communities.[3] TheHanukkah menorah, a nine-branched variant of the menorah, is closely associated with the Jewish festival ofHanukkah.
TheHebrew Bible states thatGod revealed the design for the menorah toMoses and describes the construction of the menorah as follows:[4]
31Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.32Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.33Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.34And on the lampstand are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms.35One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all.36The buds and branches shall be all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
37Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.38Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold.39Atalent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories.40See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.[5]
The Book ofNumbers (Chapter 8) adds that the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand and reiterates that the lampstand was made in accordance with the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain.[6]
Rabbinic sources teach that the menorah stood 18 handbreadths/palms (three commoncubits) high, or approximately 1.62 metres (5.3 ft).[7] Although the menorah was placed in the antechamber of the Temple sanctuary, over against its southernmost wall, theTalmud (Menahot 98b) brings down a dispute between two scholars on whether or not the menorah was situated north to south, or east to west. The branches are often artistically depicted as semicircular, butRashi,[8] (according to some contemporary readings) andMaimonides (in a sketch commented on by his sonAvraham),[9] held that they were straight;[10] all other Jewish authorities, both classical (e.g. Philo and Josephus) and medieval (e.g. Ibn Ezra), who express an opinion on the subject state that the arms were round.[11]
TheRoman-Jewish historianJosephus, who witnessed the Temple's destruction, says that the menorah was actually situated obliquely, to the east and south.[12]
Depiction of the menorah on theArch of Titus in Rome
The most famous preserved representation of the menorah of the Second Temple was depicted in afrieze on theArch of Titus, commemorating histriumphal parade inRome following thedestruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 CE.[13] In that frieze, the menorah is shown resting upon a hexagonal base, which in turn rests upon a slightly larger but concentric and identically shaped base; a stepwise appearance on all sides is thus produced. Each facet of the hexagonal base was made with two vertical stiles and two horizontal rails, a top rail and a bottom rail, resembling a protruding frame set against a sunken panel. These panels have some relief design set or sculpted within them.
Stone with menorah that was found in the archaeological siteMagdala.
In 2009, the ruins of asynagogue in Magdala with pottery dating from before the destruction of the Second Temple were discovered under land owned by theLegionaries of Christ, who had intended to construct a center for women's studies.[14] Inside that synagogue's ruins, a carved stone block was discovered, which had on its surface, among other ornate carvings, a depiction of the seven-lamp menorah differing markedly from the depiction on the Arch of Titus, which could possibly have been carved by an eyewitness to the actual menorah present at the time in the Temple at Jerusalem. This menorah has arms which are polygonal, not rounded, and the base is not graduated but triangular. It is notable, however, that this artifact was found a significant distance from Jerusalem and the Arch of Titus has often been interpreted as an eyewitness account of the original menorah being looted from the temple in Jerusalem.
According to theBook of Exodus, the lamps of the menorah were lit daily from fresh, consecrated olive oil and burned from evening until morning.[15]
Josephus states that three of the seven lamps were allowed to burn during the day also;[16] however, according to one opinion in theTalmud, only the center lamp was left burning all day, into which as much oil was put as into the others.[17] Although all the other lights were extinguished, that light continued burning oil, in spite of the fact that it had been kindled first. This miracle, according to the Talmud, was taken as a sign that theShechinah rested among Israel.[18] It was called thener hama'aravi (Western lamp) because of the direction of its wick. This lamp was also referred to as thener Elohim (lamp of God), mentioned in I Samuel 3:3.[19][1] According to the Talmud, the miracle of thener hama'aravi ended after the High Priesthood ofSimon the Just in the 3rd or 4th century BC.[20]
Contrary to some modern designs, the ancient menorah burned oil and did not contain anything resemblingcandles, which were unknown in the Middle East until about 400 CE.
The original menorah was made for thetabernacle, and the Bible records it as being present until theIsraelites crossed theJordan River. When the tabernacle tent was pitched inShiloh,[21][22] it is assumed that the menorah was also present. However, no mention is made of it during the years that theArk of the Covenant was moved in the times ofSamuel andSaul.[23]
Benjamin D. Sommer suggests that while the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle was reserved for God’s presence, the main room featured a metal menorah with six branches on each side, potentially echoing theasherah, a sacred tree or pole linked to the goddessAsherah.[24] However, Rachel Hachili argues that theories positing that the menorah had its roots in some kind of sacred tree or plant have several problems.[25]
High Priest pouring oil over the menorah, Jewish new year card
During the construction of theSecond Temple following theReturn to Zion, no mention is made of the return of the menorah but only of "vessels."[30] Thebook of Maccabees records thatAntiochus IV took away the lampstands (plural) when he pillaged the Temple.[31] The later record of the making of "new holy vessels" may refer to the manufacture of new lampstands.[32] According to theTalmud, the returningHasmoneans were poor and forced to construct the Menorah out of wood. They later upgraded it to silver and ultimately gold.[33]
Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem byFrancesco Hayez. The menorah is carried away by Roman soldiers, on the bottom-left corner. Oil on canvas, 1867.
The menorah from the Second Temple was carried toRome after thedestruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE at the height of theFirst Jewish–Roman War. Its fate is recorded by Josephus, who states that it was brought to Rome and carried along during thetriumph ofVespasian andTitus. Thebas relief on theArch of Titus in Rome depicts a scene of Roman soldiers carrying away the spoils of the Second Temple, including the menorah.
Painting on Genseric sacking Rome byKarl Bryullov (1833–1836), depicting the menorah taken away by the Vandals.A reconstruction of the menorah of theTemple in Jerusalem, manufactured by theTemple Institute.
The location and state of the Menorah following the Vandal sack of Rome remains a mystery. Many scholars assume that at this point the Menorah left Rome for Carthage and further destinations, but some believe that the Menorah remains in Rome to this day.
Many scholars consider as fact that the Menorah was carried off by theVandals during theSack of Rome in 455 CE, the Menorah and other assorted treasures of the Temple in Jerusalem were taken toCarthage, the capital of theVandal Kingdom.[36][37][38][39] They were still there when aByzantine army under GeneralBelisarius captured the city and defeated the Vandals in 533. Belisarius removed the Menorah and the other treasures and brought them toConstantinople as trophies of war. According toProcopius, the Menorah was carried through the streets of Constantinople during Belisarius' triumphal procession.[40][37][38][39] Procopius adds thatJustinian, prompted by superstitious fear that the treasures had been unlucky for Rome and Carthage, sent them back toJerusalem and the "sanctuaries of the Christians" there. The Menorah was therefore placed in the Nea Church located in the vicinity of what is today the Batei Makhse Square in the Old City.[41] However, no record exists of their arrival there, and there are no indications of pilgrimages to a shrine for the Menorah there. If the Menorah arrived in Jerusalem, it may have been destroyed whenJerusalem was pillaged by the Persians in 614, though legend suggests that it was secreted away by holy men, much as tradition purports the original Menorah was hidden before Nebuchadnezzar's invasion.[37][38][42][40]
Legends and theories hypothesize the Menorah may have been melted down or broken into chunks of gold by conquerors, destroyed in a fire, kept at or returned toConstantinople, or lost in a shipwreck.
One notable tradition is that the Menorah actually never left Rome with the Vandals. Orthodox Jews often cite as evidence of this the Oral Tradition, where there is a listing of Jewish treasures, which according to Jewish oral tradition are still in Rome, as they have been for centuries. According to a popular interpretation the Vatican has kept the Menorah and the other mentioned Temple treasures hidden for centuries. Some claim that it has been kept inVatican City, others that it is in the cellars of theArchbasilica of St. John Lateran.[35][43] The above Oral Tradition is codified in theAvot of Rabbi Natan, one of theminor tractates printed with the Babylonian Talmud.
The objects that were crafted, and then hidden away are these: the tent of meeting and the vessels contained therein, the ark and the broken tablets, the container of manna, and the flask of anointing oil, the stick of Aaron and its almonds and flowers, the priestly garments, and the garments of the anointed [high] priest.
But, the spice-grinder of the family of Avtinas [used to make the unique incense in the Temple], the [golden] table [of the showbread],the menorah, the curtain [that partitioned the holy from the holy-of-holies], and thehead-plate are still sitting in Rome.[44]
The menorah symbolized the ideal of universal enlightenment.[45] The idea that the menorah symbolizes wisdom is noted in the Talmud, for example, in the following: "Rabbi Isaac said: He who desires to become wise should incline to the south [when praying]. The symbol [by which to remember this] is that… the Menorah was on the southern side [of the Temple]."[46]
The seven lamps allude to the branches of humanknowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light ofGod represented by the central lamp. The menorah also symbolizes the creation in seven days, with the center light representing theSabbath.[1]
A nine-branched menorah is also a symbol closely associated with the Jewish holiday ofHanukkah. According to theTalmud, after theSeleucid desecration of the JewishTemple 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.
TheTalmud states that it is prohibited to use a seven-lamp menorah outside of the Temple.[47] A Hanukkah menorah therefore has eight main branches, plus the raised ninth lamp set apart as theshamash (servant) light which is used to kindle the other lights. The wordshamash was not originally a "Hanukkah word" and only became associated with the holiday in the 16th century although it first appeared in the Mishnah (c. 200 C.E.) and Talmud (c. 500 C.E.).[48] This type of menorah is called ahanukkiah inModern Hebrew.[1]
This is alluded to in the verses: "Though I walk through the valley of the deepest darkness, I will fear no evil, because You are with me"[49] and "because even if I have fallen, I will rise again; even if I feel in the darkness,Hashem is my light. "Let the light of Divinity perceptions descend into the depths of "darkness ", into "the valley of the deepest darkness", to illuminate the lowest, so that even that light and consciousness of Divinity reaches them, so that He can heal and correct them to return them to Him.[50]
In KabbalahOr Panim ("the light of the Face") is a fundamental conception for the process calledTikkun. All theKavvanot, the spiritual measures of faith for the realization of the Kingdom of God, focus on the manifestation of theOr Panim; actually darkness is in itself a negative element, that is, it does not give thehope of obtaining complete devotion: "darkness" is like an inaccessible place, darkness conceals the depth of the gaze; inChassidutan awakening from below is the "service" for God, i.e. theAvodah[citation needed].
During the victory of theKedushah in Hanukkah, theKohen Gadol almost declared thatdivine light must triumph. When the risk of "fall" can do the loss offaith in the Jewish religion as the abyss of Israel's personal and collective identity, the Kohen Gadol thus insists for the "awakening" of the most distantsouls in order to direct them withKavanah towards the fulfillment of theMitzvot:...because theTorah is the light and theMitzvah is a lamp[citation needed].
Reverse of 1590 coin in honor ofUrban VII with menorah and the legend SIC•LUCEAT•LUX•VESTRA (Let your light so shine –Matt. 5:16)
The New TestamentBook of Revelation refers to a mystery of seven golden lampstands representing seven churches.[51] The messages to the seven churches from Jesus Christ found have at least four applications: (1) a local application to the specific cities and believers in the church; (2) to all the churches of all generations; (3) a prophetic application unveiling seven distinct phases of church history from the days of the apostle John until today; (4) a personal application to individual believers who have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.[52]
Kevin Conner has noted of the original menorah, described in Exodus 25, that each of the six tributary branches coming out of the main shaft was decorated with three sets of "cups... shaped like almond blossoms... a bulb and a flower..." (Exodus 25:33, NASB).[56] This would create three sets of three units on each branch, a total of nine units per branch. The main shaft, however, had four sets of blossoms, bulbs and flowers, making a total of twelve units on the shaft (Exodus 25:34). This would create a total of 66 units, which Conner claims is a picture of theProtestant canon of scripture (containing 66 books). Moreover, Conner notes that the total decorative units on the shaft and three branches equate to 39 (the number of Old Testament books within Protestant versions of the Bible); and the units on the remaining three branches come to 27 (the number of New Testament books).[57] Conner connects this to Bible passages that speak of God's word as a light or lamp (e.g. Psalms 119:105; Psalms 119:130; cf. Proverbs 6:23).[58]
In theByzantine Rite the use of the menorah has been preserved, always standing on or behind thealtar in the sanctuary.[59] Though candles may be used, the traditional practice is to use olive oil in the seven-lamp lampstand. There are varying liturgical practices, and usually all seven lamps are lit for the services, though sometimes only the three centermost are lit for the lesser services. If the church does not have asanctuary lamp the centermost lamp of the seven lamps may remain lit as aneternal flame.
Synagogues have a continually lit lamp or light in front of theTorah ark, where theTorah scroll is kept, called thener tamid (eternal light). This lamp represents the continually litner Elohim of the menorah used in Temple times.[1] In addition, many synagogues display either a menorah or an artistic representation of a menorah.
TheEmblem of Israel shows a menorah surrounded by anolive branch on each side and the writing "ישראל" (Israel) based on its depiction on theArch of Titus.
A menorah appears in theEmblem of Israel, based on the depiction of the menorah on the Arch of Titus.
TheTemple Institute has created a life-sized menorah, designed by goldsmith Chaim Odem, intended for use in a futureThird Temple. The Jerusalem Post describes the menorah as made "according to excruciatingly exacting Biblical specifications and prepared to be pressed into service immediately should the need arise."[62] The menorah is made of one talent (interpreted as 45 kg) of 24 karat pure gold, hammered out of a single block of solid gold, with decorations based on the depiction of the original in the Arch of Titus and the Temple Institute's interpretation of the relevant religious texts.
A menorah appeared on the cap badge of theFirst Judeans of the Jewish Legion (1919–1921).
Sometimes when teaching learners of theHebrew language, a chart shaped like the seven-lamp menorah is used to help students remember the role of thebinyanim of theHebrew verb.
Thekinara is also, like the menorah, a seven candleholder which is associated with theAfrican American festival ofKwanzaa. One candle is lit on each day of the week-long celebration, in a similar manner as the Hannukah menorah.
InTaoism, the Seven-Star Lampqi xing deng 七星燈 is a seven-lamp oil lamp lit to represent the seven stars of theNorthern Dipper.[63] This lampstand is a requirement for all Taoist temples, never to be extinguished. In the first 9 days of the lunar 9th month festival, an oil lamp of nine connected lamps may also be lit to honour both the Northern Dipper and two other assistant stars (collectively known as the Nine Emperor Stars), sons ofDou Mu appointed by the TaoistTrinity (the Three Pure Ones) to hold the Books of Life and Death of humanity. The lamps represent the illumination of the 7 stars, and lighting them are believed to absolvesins while prolonging one's lifespan.
The menorah features prominently in the 2013 crypto-thrillerThe Sword of Moses byDominic Selwood. It is also featured in the archaeology novelsCrusader Gold, byDavid Gibbins,The Last Secret of the Temple, byPaul Sussman, andThe Testament of Elias, by W.S. Mahler. A menorah can be seen in the movieX-Men: First Class, whenCharles Xavier readsErik Lehnsherr's mind, searching for a happy memory from his childhood before the Holocaust, and together they see Erik as a young child lighting his first menorah with his mother.
Fray Juan Ricci (1600–1681), sketch of the menorah as described in Exodus, undated. Biblioteca Statale del Monumento Nazionale diMonte Cassino, cod. 469, fol. 199v
^Fine, Steven (2015). "When is a Menorah "Jewish"? On the Complexities of a Symbol under Byzantium and Islam".Age of Transition: Byzantine Culture in the Islamic World. Fashion Studies. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 38–53.ISBN978-0-300-21111-5.Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved29 December 2022.It is now apparent that the image of the menorah is ubiquitous in Samaritan visual culture of this period, to no less a degree than it is in Jewish art... The first Samaritan mosaic was uncovered in 1949, at Salbit... Were it not for the distinctly Samaritan inscription at the site, it is likely that this building... would have been called a Jewish synagogue without hesitation... Christian interest in the menorah dates perhaps as far back as the Book of Revelation... Menorahs appear occasionally in obviously Christian contexts from Late Antiquity, as Marcel Simon has noted. A menorah flanked by crosses is seen on the sixth-century tombstone of a monk at Avdat in the Negev desert, for example... One issue of bronze coins dated to the Umayyad post-reform era (after 696/97) may be particularly significant for our study. A group of bronze issues shows the image of seven- and later five-branched menorahs surmounted by a crosspiece like those that appear on many Jewish menorahs, but with the Arabic legend "There is no god but Allah alone and Muhammad is Allah's messenger"—uniquely, on both faces of the coin.
^Babylonian Talmud (Menahot 28b);Maimonides,Mishne Torah (Hil. Beit ha-Baḥirah 3:10 ). Figure is based on the accepted rabbinic view that there are four finger-widths to every handbreadth/palm, and each finger-width is estimated at 2.25 cm. This measurement does not include the step-like platform upon which it rested.
^Chanan Morrison, Abraham Isaac Kook,Gold from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion - From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook, page 239 (Urim Publications, 2006).ISBN965-7108-92-6
^Epstein, Isadore, ed. (1976).Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Baba Bathra (English and Hebrew ed.). Soncino Press. p. 12a.ISBN978-0900689642.
^Jeaneane D. Fowler,An Introduction to the Philosophy and Religion of Taoism: Pathways to Immortality, page 213 (Sussex Academic Press, 2005).ISBN1-84519-085-8
Fine, Steven. 2010. "'The Lamps of Israel': The Menorah as a Jewish Symbol." InArt and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward a New Jewish Archaeology. By Steven Fine, 148–163. New York: Cambridge University Press.
--. 2016. The Menorah: From the Bible to Modern Israel. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016.
Hachlili, Rachel. 2001.The Menorah, the Ancient Seven-Armed Candelabrum: Origin, Form, and Significance. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
Levine, Lee I. 2000. "The History and Significance of the Menorah in Antiquity." InFrom Dura to Sepphoris: Studies in Jewish Art and Society in Late Antiquity. Edited by Lee I. Levine and Ze’ev Weiss, 131–53. Supplement 40. Portsmouth, RI: Journal of Roman Archaeology.
Williams, Margaret H. 2013. "The Menorah in a Sepulchral Context: A Protective, Apotropaic Symbol?" InThe Image and Its Prohibition in Jewish Antiquity. Edited bySarah Pearce, 77–88. Journal of Jewish Studies, Supplement 2. Oxford: Journal of Jewish Studies.
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