The Judaic holiday Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, will be celebrated this season from Dec. 25th to Jan. 2nd. Jews around the world will gather during each of the holiday’s eight nights to light a menorah’s candles or its oil-filled receptacles.
Seven-Branched Menorah
The menorah is the oldest continuously used religious symbol in the Western world. Its depiction has evolved over millennia. In addition to the hanukkiah, there was an earlier form called a temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum.
The mosaic’s lozenge shape overlaps at its ends with florals. Motifs of florals and branches are often associated with menorahs. They’re meant to symbolize the Tree of Life.
One of the most important Medieval manuscripts is the Cervera Bible, a National Treasure part of the National Library of Portugal. This Hebrew Bible contains an exceptional image of a menorah rendered in a full-page illustration. Its seven holders are bookended by ripe olive trees that send oil through golden tubes.
The temple menorah features in the story of Hanukkah. The holiday commemorates the 164 B.C. triumph of the Jews, led by Judas Maccabeus, over the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. Before they were defeated, the Greeks desecrated the Temple of Jerusalem. There was only enough kosher oil to light the temple menorah for one day. But a miracle occurred: The oil lasted for eight days, hence an eight-day festival and the creation of the Hanukkah menorah with additional branches. The eight lamps are lit successively each night with the “shamash” candle. Once all the menorah branches are lit, the shamash is left burning to “serve” in case a flame blows out.
Domestic Menorahs
The Parisian Museum of Jewish Art and History has a Hanukkah Lamp on permanent loan that they cite as “one of the most ancient medieval domestic religious objects known in France.” It’s more Romanesque than Gothic in style, even though it does have an architectural rose window at its center. The menorah’s origins are traced to the Jewish quarter of the city of Lyon. It was discovered in the 19th century and is a testament to the community that was banished from the city in 1394.
Menorahs are typically placed in a home either on windowsills or hung on a wall, and this is an example of the latter type. It’s believed that this menorah was made by a Christian artisan, but there are known examples made by Jewish craftsmen as well.
There is a beautiful late 17th century floral Hanukkah lamp at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This menorah is one of The Met’s earliest Judaica purchases, and it entered their collection in 1913. The Museum writes, “Inspired by Dutch tulip decoration, the large blossoms that fill the wide frame became fashionable ornament across Europe during the 1660s to 1700.” Similar to a wall sconce, the embossed and engraved silver menorah made in Hamburg would have reflected atmospheric flickering light when in use. Hamburg was a major Jewish center for refugees from the Iberian Peninsula.
In addition, The Met owns a rare Italian silver Hanukkah lamp from circa 1830. This object is the only known domestic example of its type in a bench-shape style. It’s elaborately decorated with symbols, including miniature oil jugs, the Star of David, and lions flanking a hanukkiah. The image of the lion in Judaism is associated with Judah and the Book of Genesis; felines feature throughout history as popular decorative motifs for menorahs.
Synagogue Standing Menorah
Standing Hanukkah lamps used in synagogues can be monumental in scale. An example at New York’s Jewish Museum is 70 1/2 inches tall. Composed of copper alloy, it was made in the second half of the 18th century, likely in Poland or western Ukraine. Objects like this, with eagle finials and lions supporting the base, would have been found in synagogues throughout Eastern Europe before World War II. Animal finials were often emblematic of a region’s ruler. The Museum’s Hanukkah lamp is a rare survival of this type of ceremonial object that survived Nazi destruction.
No matter their shape, size, or medium, all Hanukkah menorahs represent a miracle. As Met Curator Emerita Barbara Drake Boehm writes, “Hanukkah is more than a time for children’s songs and chocolates. It is a metaphor for the very survival of the Jewish faith.” These objects shed light on both the historical origins and poignant significances of a people’s perseverance and the enduring ability to celebrate life.
