What is Hanukkah Menorah?

What Is Hanukkah Menorah?

Lighting the candle on Hanukkah Maorah is originally a Jewish tradition to better commorate the miracle of victory, which that Maccabee's victory over the Greeks's. In Israeli Modern Hebrew, it is called a "Hanukkiah".Whreas, In traditional diaspora Hebrew, it is called a "Menorah".

The menorah holds great symbolic significance in the celebration of Chanukah. Over 2300 years ago in Judea (Israel), the Jewish people were forced by the King Antiochus to abandon their faith and worship Greek gods. Jewish temples were destroyed and those who resisted were punished.

After years of struggle, the Maccabees, who fought for the preservation of Judaism, defeated the oppressive king and reclaimed their temple. This victory and the miracle of the menorah burning for eight days with only enough oil for one day are commemorated during Chanukah.

What Is The Symbolism Behind Hanukka Menorah?

In the usual Jewish tradition, the entire world is a projection of our spiritual world. In other word, our preceiption and projection of our inner subconscious mind.  This is the true miracle of Hanukkah: not just the physical act of lighting a candle, but the internal transformation that it represents. It was just an awesome memory that people would savour with Hanukka Menorah. 

A candle contains oil and a wick. The wick lets us burn the oil, which rises up the wick.The oil and wick will only be ignited when the oil seep and penetrate the wick. 

The wick symbolizes the rejection of light, or of seeking pleasure only for oneself. The oil represents the fuel needed to reject selfish pleasure, but it cannot burn alone. We must transform our desire for self-benefit into a desire to love and bestow. The power to make sacrifices for a group or community. As  It is written about this change: “The evil angel becomes the good one,” Thus , according to the bible, there is still a  power of choice or moral judgment that lies in our own hand. 

The Maccabees’ internal struggle mirrors our own battles with selfishness and hatred. By transforming these negative traits into a source of illumination, we can light the metaphorical oil. They are capable of discover the  oil  and light the oil in one unity. The Greeks represent the will to control our desires and shy away from personal gains and benefit when making a certain effort. 

Thus, The Maccabees shifted from selfishness to selflessness. Because they coporated and united together, they are able to find the oil in the first place. The oil lamp symbolizes transcending self-serving desires and embracing love for others. Lighting a candle visually represents embarking on a journey of love and building positive relationships.When the Maccabees overcame their rationalizations for selfishness, they were able to embrace a new mindset focused on altrustic love for others. 

The symbol of the oil lamp with a wick represents the spiritual journey of transcending self-serving desires and embracing a new motivation to love, give, and connect with others.The act of lighting a candle is a visual representation of  a person’s inner spiritual work of embarking on a fresh journey of love, giving, and building positive relationships with others. 

What are Some Traditional Practice We keep Today?

Today,  Hanukka Menroah is used to emphasize the holiday's celebration of Jewish resilience and heritage. Various traditions are observed, such as lighting candles, reading Scripture, reciting Psalms, giving to charity. Special prayers and readings are conducted to express gratitude to God for past miracles and Jewish strength. Festive meals, songs, games, and gifts for children are also part of the holiday. Traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot are enjoyed, representing the miraculous oil that is central to the Hanukkah story. 

How To Light the Menorah?

The time it takes to light the candles on a menorah for Hanukkah can vary depending on tradition . Typically, one candle is lit on the first night, two on the second night, and so forth until all eight candles are lit on the eighth night. Each candle is usually lit with a separate blessing, which may take a minute or two per candle. Therefore, you may assume that lighting all eight candles with their respective blessings could take no longer than one day. However, the duration could differ based on the pace of reciting the blessings and any extra traditions or prayers included in the lighting ceremony. Each night one candle is lit to bring remeberance. Because during the war, there where only enough candle oils  to be left for one day. 

In fact, there are eight holders for the eight candles, one for each night, and the one in the middle is for the shamas, or helper. This is the candle that is used to light any of the other candles.Lighting all eight candles indicates that you have completed the entire week of Hanukkah and have reached the final day. In other words, it takes eight days to light them all. By the way, please remeber to recite the Hanukkah blessings as you are lighting the candles. 

The way to light the eight Hanukkah candles is as follows: On the first Hanukkah candle, place it on the far right. Light it with the Shamash. Put the Shamash back in place. Light the second candle on the right. On the second night, place the far right candle on the left. Light the far right candle. Place the shamash back on the candle.Follow this pattern each night. By the eighth night, all of the candles will be lit on the far left.Essentially, you light the candle form the right to left, yet you postion the candle from left to right on the candle stand. 

Are there specific blessings for lighting the Hanukkah Menorah?

There are tipically 3 blessings  people often recite when performing rituals and ceremony associated with Hanukkah Menorah. The blessings are along the lines of "Praised are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who made us holy through your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights."

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