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 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).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; |
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| 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. |
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Origin
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. 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.
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. In the Pentateuch, it has
been purged of all polytheistic symbolism.
Fate
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. |
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