Donna Beccia Carick
Happy Hanukkah!
This is the Festival of Lights, the season when we light the candles of our Hanukkah menorah, called the Hanukkiah. The menorah is a seven-branched candelabra, while the Hanukkiah is nine-branched. Why the difference?
The menorah was designed by YHWH, with detailed specifications given to Moshe. It was to be hammered and shaped from 100% pure gold, about 66 pounds worth. The branches had gold petals shaped like almond blossoms, along with other detailed work. There was a receptacle at the top of each branch, to hold the oil that would be lit.
The menorah was placed in the Tent of Meeting, in the Holy Place, just in front of the curtain leading to the Holy of Holies. Later on, when King David was given the plans to build a temple, his son Solomon executed the plans, and crafted TEN golden menorahs, and some silver ones too. After that temple was destroyed, the Second Temple was built by Herod. This temple contained a single gold menorah.
YHWH gave specific instructions about what kind of oil to use in the menorah, and how often it was lit, and who was to light it. While these menorahs were used exclusively in the temple, there are some instances in the Hebrew Scriptures where that same word, “menorah”, was used to describe lights used in the palace of David and in a woman’s home.
In 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes invaded the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and stole the menorah and all the golden instruments of worship. He defiled the altar of YHWH by placing a statue of Zeus in the Temple, and by sacrificing pigs on the holy altar.
The People of the Book (the Jewish people) revolted. Their temple had been unusable for three years.
With YHWH’s intervention, Judas Maccabee formed a tiny but zealous army, and was able to defeat the Greek army that was many times bigger! The miracle of Hanukkah was that they were able to take back their Temple, cleanse it, build a new altar, and begin worshipping YHWH again.
They declared an eight-day celebration, to be commemorated year after year, beginning on Kislev 25.
“Hanukkah” means “to dedicate.” Thus began the Feast of Dedication, which is mentioned in the New Testament, in John 10:22.
The People of the Book wanted to commemorate their victory by remembering that the Light of YHWH was restored to the Holy Place. Thus, they added two extra branches to the candelabra. Is this “kosher”?
Take a look at Zechariah 4. It’s rather amazing.
Zechariah 4:1-4 says, “Then the angel that had been speaking with me returned and roused me, as if he were waking someone up from being asleep, and asked me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I’ve been looking at a menorah; it’s all of gold, with a bowl at its top, seven lamps on it, and seven tubes leading to the lamps at its top. Next to it are two olive trees, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left.’ I then asked the angel speaking with me, ‘What are these, my Lord?’”
The question is answered in Zechariah 4:11-14 — “I replied by asking him, ‘What are those two olive trees on the right and left sides of the menorah?’ Then I asked the question again: ‘What are those two olive branches discharging gold [-colored oil] through the two gold spouts?’ He replied, ‘Don’t you know what they are?’ I answered, ‘No, my Lord.’ He said, ‘Those are the two who have been anointed with oil; they are standing with the Lord of all the land.’”
It appears that the Hebrew Scriptures have given us a picture of the nine-branched menorah — seven branches of the menorah, and an olive branch added on the right and left side! Maybe the Hanukkiah is KOSHER after all!
As we light the candles each day, let us remember that the LIGHT OF THE WORLD has been invited into the personal temples of our hearts, and into our homes. As we display the Hanukkiah in our windows, we let the world know about the hope that is within us.
Chag Sameach! Blessings during this Hanukkah season!
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Donna Beccia Carick is co-leader of Shalom Yeshua Ministries, Inc., in Evansville, Indiana. You can reach her by email at donna@ShalomYeshua.org.
