It had always been associated with the Tabernacle, the movable sanctuary, which represented the space where the presence of God on Earth showed ( Shekhinah). The base and the shaft of the lampstand shall be made of hammered work its cups, its calyxes, and its petals shall be of one piece with it.” (Exodus 25-31) In fact, when God appeared to Moses, he commanded, among other things, to create a particular object, destined to become the symbol itself of the Jewish religion: “ You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. In the Torah, the book of Exodus, it is thoroughly described for what concerns its shape, size, and materials it had to be made of. The Menorah was a seven-branched structure, oil lamps burned on each branch. 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. The word Menorah comes for the same root of or, that is, light, and represents the seven-branched candelabra, symbol of the Jewish religion. Light was important as well for the Jewish people, and that is shown by the importance they gave to the Menorah. Light has always been a very important symbol in Christianism, related to Christ’s Resurrection, and has a very deep and solemn meaning. You can find one in any church on the altar, where it is lit to express Faith and Hope with its light. 4 The lighting and extinguishing of the Menorah and the ChanukkiyahĪccording to Christianism, the candleholder, or candelabra is a very important liturgical furniture.2 What did the Jewish Menorah stand for?.
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