Menorah (Hanukkah)

The Hanukkah menorah, also known as Hanukiah or Chanukiah (Hebrew: מנורת חנוכה), is a nine-branched lamp or candleholder used on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. It is used to celebrate, remember, and honor the historical miracle of Hanukkah. Its shape is an upright stand with eight equal branches to hold a candle or oil with a wick.^[1] A ninth branch, at the center or to one side and usually taller, is the shamash (Hebrew: helper). The shamash is lit first, then used to light the others, while a prayer is recited. One of the branches is lit on the first night, two on the second, etc., which lasts eight nights. The Hanukkah menorah commemorates, but is distinct from, the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Along with the seven-branched menorah and the Star of David, it is among the most widely produced articles of Jewish ceremonial art.^[2]

1. ↑ "Exhibition: The Hanukkah Menorah". Metropolitan Museum of Art. November 21, 2001. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
2. ↑ Newman, Yacov; Sivan, Gavriel (1980). Judaism A-Z: Lexicon of Terms and Concepts. Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora of the World Zionist Organization.