The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the hanukkiah or menorah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others.
What is a 9 branch menorah?
The ninth branch holds a candle, called the shamash ("helper" or "servant"), which is used to light the other eight. The Hanukkah menorah commemorates, but is distinct from, the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
What's the difference between a menorah and a Hanukkiah?
A menorah, which has only seven candleholders, was the lamp used in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem — now a symbol of Judaism and an emblem of Israel. A Hanukkiah, however, has nine candlesticks — one for each night of Hanukkah and an extra one to light the others.
What does the 7 branch menorah mean?
The seven lamps allude to the branches of human knowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light of God represented by the central lamp. The menorah also symbolizes the creation in seven days, with the center light representing the Sabbath.
What does the 7 candle menorah mean?
creation
Why do some menorahs have 7 and some 9?
Since biblical times, the seven-branched menorah has symbolized Judaism. For many Jews in antiquity, the menorah's seven branches represented the five visible planets, plus the sun and the moon, and its rounded branches suggested their trajectories across the heavens.
What does the 9 branch menorah symbolize?
The defining characteristic of a Hanukkah menorah is eight lights in a row, with a ninth lamp off to the side or above, separated from the other eight. The ninth lamp is called a shamash, a “servator,” and it symbolically differentiates the eight holy flames from other, mundane light sources.
What is the 9th candle on the menorah?
shamash
Can a menorah have 8 candles?
Hanukkah Menorah Nine Candle Arrangement Eight of the Hanukkah menorah's candles are level with each other, to symbolize the eight days that the oil lasted. The ninth candle which is either elevated or shorter than the others, is used to light the other eight candles, and referred to as the Shamash.
Why does the menorah have 8 branches?
The most famous explanation for the eight-day festival appears in the Babylonian Talmud, which infuses the Maccabees' victory with divine purpose. The Talmud says that although the victorious Maccabees had only enough sacred olive oil available to burn for a single night, it miraculously lasted for eight.
What is a 7 branch menorah called?
Most people — including Jews — incorrectly refer to this as a menorah, when in fact the correct name for the candleholder is Hanukkiah or Hanukkah menorah. A menorah, which has only seven candleholders, was the lamp used in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem — now a symbol of Judaism and an emblem of Israel.