Collectables -> Religions, Spirituality -> Judaica
The Menorah is an ancient symbol of the Jewish faith, representing the faith and people for almost 3000 years. While even those of us who aren’t Jewish recognize this symbol when we see it, many don’t understand its significance. Menorahs are most commonly seen during the holidays and at Christmas, as a menorah is an important part of the Jewish holiday tradition of Hanukkah. But it’s not just Judaism’s equivalent of the Christmas tree, as is a common misconception. Detailed instructions for creating a menorah are chronicled in the Bible’s Book of Exodus, so the symbol itself isn’t just decoration, its creation was a religious command.
The Menorah is a candelabra with seven branches, used in Jerusalem in the Holy Temple. It burned olive oil in ancient times, and is supposed to represent the burning bush that Moses saw in the early Bible story. The original menorah is less widely seen today, because the modern menorah actually has 9 branches instead of seven—4 branches on each side of the higher middle branch, which was used to light all the others.
The reason for the change from the original guidelines in Exodus almost sounds like a superstitious one. While the original menorahs had 7 branches, the Jewish people decided not to reproduce them once the original temples were destroyed. Instead they used the 9 branch design. Some original reproductions are used today, though, because they’re not reproducing the original Menorahs exactly, as new models are electric rather than oil-burning models.
The menorah, far from just a symbol of the holiday season, is actually used to celebrate a miracle widely known by the Jewish people. When Judas Maccabee rededicated the Temple that had been destroyed in 165 BC, he and his followers went to light the menorah but could only find enough oil to burn it for one day. The story claims that the menorah actually burned for 8 days on that one day’s worth of oil. So Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is actually celebration of that religious miracle.
Today, some people display a menorah all year round rather than just during the end of the year and the holiday season. Collectible menorahs appeal to people for different reasons. For some it’s the religious symbolism of the item, for other it’s the beauty of the piece itself. Flea markets can be great places to find unique menorah styles, but online auctions offer a huge variety and you can shop from all over the world.
You can find menorahs in the shape of the Star of David, menorahs encrusted with rhinestones and other baubles, and menorahs in all sizes and colors. But true vintage menorahs are often made of silver or brass, and have little decoration you can see on first glance. A closer look will often reveal Hebrew inscriptions and maybe even intricate and detailed engraving work on the arms or the base meant to enhance the piece without taking the focus off the candlelight, which is meant to be the whole focus of the menorah.
Originally posted 2008-10-20 05:00:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Ticket Stubs Collectibles -> Paper Collecting ticket stubs is a fun hobby that can be equally exciting and frustrating because tickets are one of the more rare items you can collect, whether they’re from sporting events, concerts, museum visits, political rallies and events, movies or other events that require tickets for admission....... -
Collecting Wine Bottle Corks Most people are familiar with collecting wine, and even collecting wine bottles, but one of the types of collections that some people are unaware of is collecting wine bottle corks. Wine bottle corks are often just as unique as the bottles that they are sealing, and people that consider them...... -
Learning to Collect Books There are many different people in the world that decide to collect books, and surprisingly enough, they decide to collect books for a whole host of different reasons that are just about as diverse as the books themselves. Classic works from the greats like Homer, Shakespeare, Dante and Dickens can...... -
Lladro Collectibles Collectibles -> Decorative Collectibles -> Lladro-> Figurines When you look at the beauty and grace that is customary with Lladro collectibles, it’s hard to believe that the company originally specialized in jugs and basic kitchenware. It wasn’t until the mid 1950’s that the three original founders of the company, who...... -
Antique Crucifixes Collectables -> Religions, Spirituality -> Christianity Antique crucifixes are an interesting collector hobby, with collections that can range from very rough, early wooden carvings that barely resemble a modern crucifix, to brass or ivory depictions done more recently. While some people collect rather ornate crosses in all materials, a crucifix......
Related Websites - North Americas #1 Ranked Fund Manager Names His Favorites StockInterview: How do you feel about uranium, which fuels nuclear reactors and generates electricity, and the uranium bull market for stocks that were in right now?J-F Tardif: We are very bullish. Were extremely bullish on uranium as a firm, not only for uranium, but were also very bullish on......
- How to Have Fun Running (Gulp!) Many people have a love/hate relationship with running. It's a highly polarizing activity, as many people find it the most difficult, laborious type of exercise, and others find it the most freeing, liberating exercise possible. Where do you lie? And have you ever wondered how some people could actually have......
-
This Just In: Dangerous staph germs have been uncovered at beaches on the west coast. Dangerous staph bacteria germs have been located in the sand as well as the water for the very first time in five different public beaches located along the coast in the state of Washington. Scientists are saying that this is probably not the only state that is battling this particular...... -
American Tattoos /caption] American tattoos have long been favorites among people living in the United States. These tattoo designs are great for showing patriotism, and can be quite visually stunning. Symbols of American patriotism can be incorporated into a wide variety of tattoo designs, so it is easy to get an American...... -
Microsoft's New Search Engine Bing.com /caption] Ever since Yahoo decided not to sell to Microsoft, to compete with Google, Microsoft has designed its own, and improved search engine, a very big improvement from there live search engine they had before. I remember seeing commercials on TV regarding Bing, but did not really know what they......
