Sacred objects

Menorah

The menorah, the seven-branched lampstand of the Temple in Jerusalem: its history as the oldest symbol of Judaism, its difference from the Hanukkah lamp and its place on the emblem of Israel.

Also called Seven-branched lampstand · Temple lampstand

In brief

I.The menorah is the golden seven-branched lampstand described in the Book of Exodus and kept in the Temple in Jerusalem.
II.It is the oldest symbol of Judaism, used for more than two thousand years.
III.The Roman Arch of Titus shows it being carried away after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.
IV.The Hanukkah lamp, with eight lights and a helper, is a different object.

Chapter I

What it means

The menorah stands for the Temple, the presence of God among his people, and the light that Israel is called to bring to the nations. The prophet Zechariah saw a vision of a golden lampstand, and the words he heard, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit”, have long been linked with it.

Because the Temple is gone, the menorah is also a sign of memory and of hope for restoration.

Chapter II

Where it comes from

The Book of Exodus describes a lampstand of pure gold with a central stem and three branches on each side, decorated with almond blossoms. A menorah stood in the Second Temple until the Romans destroyed it in 70 CE; the Arch of Titus in Rome shows soldiers carrying it in triumph.

In late antiquity the menorah became the most common Jewish emblem, carved on tombs, painted in synagogues and set in mosaic floors. It was chosen in 1949 for the state emblem of Israel.

Chapter III

Where you see it today

The menorah is the emblem of the State of Israel, flanked by olive branches. A large bronze menorah stands outside the Knesset in Jerusalem. Synagogues often display a seven-branched lamp in memory of the Temple; Jewish law discourages making an exact copy of it.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a menorah and a hanukkiah?

The Temple menorah has seven lamps. The lamp lit at Hanukkah has eight lights, one for each night of the festival, plus a ninth, the shamash, used to light the others. It is often called a menorah too, but Hebrew speakers call it a hanukkiah.

Why seven branches?

Exodus gives no reason. Later interpreters linked the seven lamps with the seven days of creation or the seven planets known in antiquity.

Sources and further reading

Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Menorah”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Hanukkah”
Steven Fine, The Menorah: From the Bible to Modern Israel (Harvard University Press, 2016)
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Religious symbolism and iconography”

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