The Hanukkah menorah (Hebrew: מנורה
menorah) (also Hebrew: חַנֻכִּיָּה hanukiah,
or chanukkiyah, pl. hanukiyot/chanukkiyot,
or Yiddish: חנוכּה לאמפּ khanike lomp, lit.:
Hanukkah lamp) is, strictly speaking, a
nine-branched candelabrum lit during the
eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, as opposed to
the seven-branched menorah used in the
ancient Temple or as a symbol. The ninth
holder, called the shamash ("helper or
servant"), is for a candle used to light all
other candles. The menorah is among the most
widely produced articles of Jewish
ceremonial art. The menorah is a traditional
symbol of Judaism, along with the Star of
David.
The menorah (Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה IPA [mnoː'ɾaː])
is described in the Bible as the
seven-branched candelabrum made of gold and
used in the portable sanctuary set up by
Moses in the wilderness and later in the
Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil of the
purest quality was burned daily to light its
lamps. The menorah has been a symbol of
Judaism since ancient times and is the
emblem on the coat of arms of the modern
state of Israel.
The Knesset Menorah (Hebrew: מנורת הכנסת
Menorat HaKnesset) is a bronze monument,
about five meters high, that is located at
the edge of Gan Havradim (Rose Garden) in
front of the Knesset. The Parliament of the
United Kingdom gave this monument to Israel
in 1956, and it had been built by Benno
Elkan, a British-Jewish sculptor, who worked
on it for 6 years. The Menorah built in the
shape of the Menorah which appears in Arch
of Titus includes engravings of about 30
important events, idioms, characters and
terms from the Jewish history, and is
considered as a visual "textbook" about it.
