#menora

How to say, “Hanukkah Menora” in Hebrew. Happy Hanukkah 🕎

Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism, begins tonight at sundown. Also known as the Day of Atonement, it is traditionally observed with a period of fasting and prayer. Falling in the month of Tishrei, it marks the culmination of the 10 Days of Awe, a period of introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

There a number of objects in our collections that tell the story of Jewish history through art, dating as far back as 1800 BC. Pictured below is a Sumerian King List, a shard of Roman gold glass, and ceremonial wedding rings inscribed with Hebrew words and Jewish motifs.

You can find out more about these objects and many others on our Jewish Journey Trail.

The Sumarian King List, Larsa, Mesopotamia (now S. Iraq), c.1800 BC.

Wedding rings from Venice, Italy. 1500–1600

בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרֹת (בהעלותך ח, ב) WHEN YOU IGNITE THE LAMPS. (BEHAALOTECHA 8:2) 

When the Torah mentions igniting the lamps of the menorah, the term used for “when you ignite” is “beha’aloscha,” which literally means, “when you cause to ascend.” From this, the sages understood that there was a step in front of the menorah, which the kohen ascended while preparing the lamps. (Rashi)

The kindling of the menorah is also a metaphor for kindling the G-dly flame in the soul of man—“The lamp of G-d is the soul of man (Mishlei 20:27).” I.e., to cause the soul to shine brightly with the light of Torah and mitzvos (see also Mishlei 6:23).

Accordingly, the step that stood before the menorah teaches us that when a person ignites the G-dly spark in his fellow Jew, the igniter himself has an “ascension” as well. Like the kohen who would ascend a step in order to prepare the lamps of the menorah, a person who takes upon himself to kindle the soul of his fellow Jew is elevated spiritually in every aspect of his life. And from his elevated state, he will certainly succeed in his mission to ignite the lamps of the spiritual menorah.