Menorah

A nine-branched hanukiah as used during Chanukah

The menorah (also hanukiah) is the name for the nine-branched candle holder used in the Jewish celebration of Chanukah. One receptacle in the menorah is in the middle and raised above the others. This one is called the servant light, and it is used to light the other candles.

The term "menorah" originally meant, and still may mean, a seven-branched candle holder used in the Jewish temple, from which the modern version is derived. Lamps resembling these original menorahs are used in synagogues today, but are generally called eternal flames. The original menorahs used oil and directions for building one appears in the Bible, specifically Exodus 25:31-40. The menorah also appears in Zechariah 4:1-6, and some Jews imagine God's command to be "a light unto the nations" (Isaiah 42:6) as an allusion to the menorah.^[1]

The menorah is the official symbol of the Jewish state of Israel and is generally viewed as a symbol of Jewish culture and heritage.^[2]

See also[edit]

• Chanukah
• Judaism

References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/menorah.html
2. ↑ http://www.answers.com/topic/menorah