Is the Menorah the national symbol of Israel?
Menorah (מנורה) is a seven branched-candelabrum that has been used as a symbol of Israel since ancient times. The national emblem of the State of Israel includes a Menorah, flanked by two olive branches. History: The stylized image of the Menorah was adopted as the emblem of Israel by The Provisional Council of State on 11 Shevat 5709 (10 ...
Is the Menorah the symbol of God's Covenant?
The Menorah Represents God's Eternal Covenant with Israel . I love the symbol of the menorah , which represents God's eternal covenant with Israel and the Jewish people. The menorah illustrates God's light, presence, blessings, and anointing. The menorah is part of the blueprint for the wilderness tabernacle, which Moses received by ...
What is the spiritual meaning of the Menorah?
The Meaning of the Menorah. The Menorah then is a symbol expressing the unique relationship between YEHOVAH God and His people, spiritual Israel. The flame of the Menorah expresses our flaming desire to rise up and to become one with YEHOVAH God and Yeshua, His Messiah.
What does the Menorah mean to Jews?
The light of the Menorah symbolizes an eternal flame. It has been said that the Menorah is a symbol of the nation of Israel and its mission to be “a light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42:6). The Menorah is among the most widely produced articles of Jewish Ceremonial art.
What do menorah candles represent?
Light the Menorah The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the hanukkiah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others.
What is the menorah and why is it important?
A menorah, the Hebrew word for lamp, has seven branches. It was originally used in the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. Menorahs were lit daily using olive oil of the purest quality. A hanukkiyah is a Hanukkah menorah used specifically to light the candles (often used today instead of oil) on Hanukkah.
What is the biblical meaning of the menorah?
Bible Facts. In Jewish tradition, the menorah, with its treelike form and ornamentation, is often associated with the burning bush as well as the tree of life. And these are associated with the presence of the Lord (or the shechinah, the fiery pillar and cloud of His presence; see Bible Dictionary, “Shechinah”).
Why are there 7 and 9 candles on a menorah?
Eight of the nine branches hold lights (candles or oil lamps) that symbolize the eight nights of the holiday; on each night, one more light is lit than the previous night, until on the final night all eight branches are ignited.
Is a menorah a religious symbol?
However, a menorah is a religious symbol and a creche is a religious symbol. …
Does the menorah represent the tree of life?
The menorah brings us back to the creation story, where the first creation was light. (Genesis 1:3) In the center of the Garden of Eden were the tree of knowledge and tree of life. The menorah looks like a tree.
What is the story behind the menorah?
An eight-branched menorah modeled after the Temple menorah is used by Jews in rites during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. The menorah is first mentioned in the biblical book of Exodus (25:31–40), according to which the design of the lamp was revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
What is the power of menorah?
In reality, the menorah is a stylized tree of pure fire, and is a constant reminder of the revelation of God to Moses and Israel at Sinai. Therefore, the menorah, and by extension the Temple, represented God's presence in the community of Israel.
Why do Jews put the menorah in the window?
On Fridays, the menorah is lit before dark to avoid lighting on Shabbat. Step 2: Find Its Spot The menorah is meant to spread light to others and is traditionally placed in a window, on a table or outside your door.
Why is the menorah lit from right to left?
Q: In what direction should the candles be lighted? A: The candles are lighted in the opposite direction from how they are placed in the chanukiah. They are lighted from left to right, so that the newest candle is always lighted first.
What's the difference between a menorah and a Hanukkah?
A menorah, which has only seven candleholders, was the lamp used in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem — now a symbol of Judaism and an emblem of Israel. A Hanukkiah, however, has nine candlesticks — one for each night of Hanukkah and an extra one to light the others.
What does 7 candles symbolize?
The seven candles of the Jewish menorah that burned in the Tabernacle symbolized the Creation and, according to the English scholar Robert Graves, may be connected to the seven planets of antiquity.
What is the story behind the menorah?
An eight-branched menorah modeled after the Temple menorah is used by Jews in rites during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. The menorah is first mentioned in the biblical book of Exodus (25:31–40), according to which the design of the lamp was revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
What does the 9 candle menorah symbolize?
9 Branch menorah This type of menorah holds a symbolic meaning as well. It is a symbol of the Hanukkah miracle, oil burning miracle that lasted for eight days instead of one.
What is a menorah and what does it symbolize for kids?
The menorah is a special candelabrum with 9 candles. Each day an additional candle is lit. The ninth candle is called a shamash. This candle is generally in the middle and set higher from the other 8 candles to separate it from the rest. It is the only candle that is supposed to be used for light.
What is the miracle of the menorah?
According to tradition, during the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean revolt, a small quantity of oil used to light the Temple's menorah somehow miraculously burned for eight days. Hanukkah commemorates this event.
What does the menorah symbolize?
in Zechariah 4:6, when the prophet asks about the menorah. It’s a symbol of bringing God’s glory, truth, and light into the world. And his people are called to be his representatives in bringing that light too. Yeshua teaches in Matthew 5 that we too are called to be that light to the world: “You are the light of the world.
How many branches does the Menorah have?
It is to have six branches extending from its sides, three branches of the menorah on one side of it and three on the other. On one branch are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals;
What can we learn from the tabernacle?
Hebrews 8:5-6. By studying the tabernacle with all its details, we can learn about heavenly things. They are a shadow, a pattern of what was to come in the Messiah. But let’s look at the original lampstand commissioned by God. Solid gold, with seven stands but made of one piece, and adorned with almond blossoms….
What is the menorah made of?
It is to be made of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, ring of outer leaves and petals are to be of one piece with it.
What is the significance of the menorah in the dark tent?
First of all, the light given by the massive menorah in the dark tent would have been a powerful symbol of God’s light and holiness in our dark and sinful world. Jewish tradition holds that it reminds the people of Israel that they are also called to be his “Light to the nations” as God prescribed in Isaiah 42:6.
What does Ephesians 2:13-22 mean?
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:13-22) The items in the desert tabernacle spoke of what was to come in the New Covenant – one bride of Messiah: Jew and Gentile called together, brought purified and clean before God to dwell with him.
What is the symbol of the menorah?
For millennia, it was the symbol of the people of Israel, long before the Star of David. But historians don’t really know why this symbol rather than any other. Perhaps the New Covenant has some answers?
What is the Jerusalem coin?
The Jerusalem Coin features a menorah of seven branches, an enduring symbol of peace and light unto the nations. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the temple menorah to once again radiate eternal light throughout the world. The other side of the coin depicts the “Jerusalem of Gold,” capturing the unique splendor and spirit of Jerusalem.
What does the Menorah stand for?
As one of the most popular Jewish symbols in existence today, the Menorah stands for light, wisdom, and Divine inspiration.
What is Chanukah lit?
When the Talmud asks, “What is Chanukah?” the Rabbis’ answer focuses on the miracle of the oil. We light a menorah, according to the Talmud, to commemorate the miracle of light, which is the purpose for which the holiday is celebrated. The laws and customs observed on Chanukah, especially the lighting of the Menorah, are designed to publicize the fact that Hashem performed miracles then, and continues to perform wonders in our personal lives.
How many lamps are there in the Menorah?
The seven lamps of the Menorah also allude to knowledge, with six of the branches representing human wisdom, guided by the center branch of Divine light. The Menorah’s design and the ideas it communicates endure as an inspiration for universal enlightenment.
What is the significance of the Menorah?
The Menorah’s structure also inspires us to embrace holiness. The Menorah begins with a central stem that branches outwards, just as our demeanor, behavior, personality, and especially good deeds should branch out and influence others to illuminate the world around us.
What did the Jewish Menorah stand for?
Some traditions consider the Menorah as the symbolic representation of the burning bush where Moses heard the voice of God thundering on Mount Horeb.
How many branches does the Menorah have?
Many people convolute Chanukkiyah for Menorah. It is true that the two candelabras represent the same thing, but the Menorah has seven branches, the Chanukkiyah has nine.
Why is the Menorah important?
Light was important as well for the Jewish people, and that is shown by the importance they gave to the Menorah. The word Menorah comes for the same root of or, that is, light, and represents the seven-branched candelabra, symbol of the Jewish religion. Actually, the original Menorah was an oil lamp and not a candleholder, but given the subtle difference, today we call Menorah even the seven-branched candelabra.
How many candles are in a candelabra?
In the Jewish tradition, there are also other types of candelabra, such as the Chanukkiyah, or Hanukkiah. It is a nine-branched candelabra where nine candles are lit. The lighting of the candles is carried out following a very ancient and articulated ritual, because it expresses the duration and vitality of Judaic faith.
What is the central candle of Chanukah?
The central candle of the Chanukkiyah is called “ Shamash”, which means “ guardian “. It is placed higher than the other lights. The Shamash is used to light the other candles. During each evening of the Chanukah, the Shamash is lit first; the others are added gradually, one on each night of the feast. The first night, the candle is placed in the support on the extreme right of the Chanukkiyah.
What is the public menorah?
Today the public Menorah is a huge Menorah lit in a public place during the above-mentioned Jewish feast of Chanukah, the Feast of Lights. During this feast, Judaism also celebrates the miracle of the Menorah of Jerusalem: after the oil ran out, it continued burning for eight days!
Why is the Menorah used today?
The Menorah is used today in other cults and worlds such as Masonry, which considers its lighting, carried out following a particular ritual, as a way to enhance the brothers’ skills, besides having other symbolic meanings.
What are the seven cups in Kabbalah?
The seven cups represent seven kinds of illuminations, which in the wisdom of Kabbalah are called the Sefirot of Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchu t. When the light reaches the final Sefira of Malchut, then Malchut becomes like the other seven qualities, assuming a form of bestowal. In other words, the human ego, represented by the Menorah’s gold metallic body, gains a certain level of equivalence of form with the spiritual quality of bestowal, and thus also becomes the means by which all the seven candles on the Menorah can light up.
What does the Menorah symbolize?
The Menorah (lamp) symbolizes the manifestation of the spiritual light, i.e., the quality of bestowal, which illuminates in the souls, i.e., in the human ego that has become corrected with an intention to bestow.
Why is it so hard to make a menorah?
A Menorah is physically hard to make because it is traditionally a single piece of gold that has to be molded in order to support seven cups for the candles. Likewise, molding our ego—our human nature, which is a desire to enjoy at the expense of others—so that it assumes a form of bestowal upon others, is quite a complicated feat.
What is the most egoistic component of the Menorah?
Within this entire structure, the Menorah’s magnificence is in its manifestation of the most egoistic component—Malchut, the gold —attaining similarity to the most sublime spiritual quality of bestowal.
What is the meaning of the Menorah?
Menorah. The Menorah – the candelabra – that the Jewish people light every Chanukah is connected to the Menorah that the Priests lit in the Temple every day. In the Bible, God commands us to always keep the fire lit – 24 hours a day. It must never go out. This symbolizes the light of the Bible that must be in our midst at all times.
What is the ultimate yearning of the Jewish people?
But, we also remember that the ultimate yearning of the Jewish people is to rededicate the Temple and light the menorah in Jerusalem. That will happen in the End of Days.
What does the Menorah symbolize?
This symbolizes the light of the Bible that must be in our midst at all times. In the story of Chanukah, the Jewish people rededicated the Temple after the Greeks defiled the Temple. What we do today every time we light the Menorah, we rededicate our lives to the source. We rededicate our lives to God.
What is the greatest miracle?
In truth, everything in nature is actually connected to miracles that God manages in our lives every day. We just don’t perceive them. On Chanukah, we rededicate our connection to God by exclaiming through the 8 lights that God is our guide, our light, our savior, and the manager of all in this world. For all of this we thank God.
What does the number 8 mean in Judaism?
The number 8 in Judaism symbolizes the essence of God’s involvement in our world. Seven is the number that symbolizes nature. There are seven days in the week. Everything in this world has seven aspects to it – up, down, right, left, front, back – and the thing itself. Eight is the number that symbolizes – beyond nature.
What Is a Menorah?
The word “ menorah ” is Hebrew for “lamp,” and generally refers to either the seven-branched golden candelabra that was lit every day in the Tabernacle , and then the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, or the eight-flamed lamp that is lit on the eight nights of the Jewish holiday of Chanukah.
What is the candle used to light the flames of Chanukah?
There is an additional candle, known as the shamash (lit. “helper”) from which the flames are lit. The specially crafted implement on which the Chanukah flames are lit is known as a menorah (or chanukiah in modern Hebrew). Click here for menorah lighting instructions.
What is the Temple Menorah made of?
The Temple menorah was made of gold, and the Chanukah menorah can be made of any (fire-safe) material.
How many bulbs are in a menorah?
The menorah is a highly elaborate affair, with nine decorative flowers, eleven bulbs, and twenty-two inverted goblets. An illustration of the Temple menorah drawn by Maimonides. The menorah was placed in the Holy (Kodesh), the same chamber in the Tabernacle that housed the show-bread table ( shulchan) and the golden incense altar ...
What does the 8th symbol represent?
Eight represents a step beyond nature: the supernatural, the transcendent. The Temple was a place of holiness and revealed G‑dliness, and the seven lights of the menorah were enough to light up the Temple and the world around it. Nowadays, there is more spiritual darkness in the world, and G‑dliness is concealed.
Where was Aaron the High Priest's Menorah lit?
Built in the desert along with the rest of the Tabernacle , the menorah was brought into the Promised Land, where it was faithfully lit in Shilo, Nob , and the other places where the Tabernacle was stationed.
Why did the Sages institute the festival of Chanukah?
To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. Read the complete story of Chanukah. On every night of Chanukah, another flame is lit: one the first day, two the second day etc., until eight flames are burning on the eighth night.
What Is It exactly?
What Did The Jewish Menorah Stand for?
- Some traditions consider the Menorah as the symbolic representation of the burning bushwhere Moses heard the voice of God thundering on Mount Horeb. Therefore, the Menorah would symbolize the divine lightthat spreads out. According to others, the seven lights of the Menorah symbolize the 7 days of the Creation of the Universe, and that the light in the center correspond…
What About Today?
- Today the Menorah is the universal symbol of Judaism and it is even shown on the official emblem of the State of Israel. In the Jewish tradition, there are also other types of candelabra, such as the Chanukkiyah, or Hanukkiah. It is a nine-branched candelabrawhere nine candles are lit. The lighting of the candles is carried out following a very ancient and articulated ritual, becau…
The Lighting and Extinguishing of The Menorah and The Chanukkiyah
- The central candle of the Chanukkiyah is called “Shamash”, which means “guardian“. It is placed higher than the other lights. The Shamash is used to light the other candles. During each evening of the Chanukah, the Shamash is lit first; the others are added gradually, one on each night of the feast. The first night, the candle is placed in the support on the extreme right of the Chanukkiyah…