The menorah, one of Judaism's oldest symbols, is a seven-branched candelabrum or oil lamp.

Ancient use

A menorah beaten from a single piece of gold was used in the Tabernacle (the portable sanctuary used by the Jews) and later in its successor, the Temple in Jerusalem. Lamps burning olive oil were located at the end of each branch. Since the destruction of the Temple, the seven-branched menorah has had no formal role in Jewish worship. Because of the sanctity of the Temple and its appointments, some authorities forbid the manufacture of menorah resembling the one used there.

Modern Use

Many synagogues display either a menorah or an artistic representation 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.

The term menorah is also used for the lamp holder with spaces for nine candles or oil lamps that are lit during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple after the successful Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy. According to the Talmud, the victorious Jews found only enough ritually pure olive oil to light the menorah for one day, but the supply miraculously lasted eight days until a new supply could be obtained. The menorah used during Hanukkah is also called a hanukkiah. One of the spaces in the hanukkiah is raised above the others and is used for an auxiliary light, the shamash, which guards against secular use of the other candles or oil lamps and is also used to light them. Each night an additional light is kindled - one on the first night, two on the second night, and so on - until on the eighth night of Hanukkah all eight lights, plus the shamash, are lit.

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.

Fate

The fate of the menorah used in the Second Temple is uncertain. A depiction of it is preserved on the Arch of Titus that still stands today in Rome. The menorah is said to have remained in Rome until its sack by the Vandals in AD 455, but the Byzantine army under General Belisarius took it back in the 6th century and brought it to Constantinople. Thereafter, no further mention appears in any Byzantine source.