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. 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.

A Hanukkah menorah

A silver hanukkiah.

U.S. President Harry S. Truman (left) receiving a hanukkiah in the Oval Office as a gift from Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (center) alongside Israel's Ambassador Abba Eban (right), 1951.

Construction

To be kosher, the shamash must be offset on a higher or lower plane than the main eight candles or oil lamps, but there are differing opinions as to whether all the lights must be arranged in a straight line, or if the hanukkiah can be arranged in a curve.