Another important piece of Jewish home and ritual life is the Chanukiah: a 9 branched candleholder which we use on Chanukah. Many people – Jewish included! – will also call this a Menora, which gets a bit confusing.
Menora actually refers to the 7 branched candelabrum made of pure gold that was lit in the Holy Temple and is described in Exodus 25. In Exodus 27 we learn that it was to be lit every evening with only pure, consecrated olive oil to burn through the night. It is, for example, the menorah that we see on the Arch of Titus, being dragged off by Roman soldiers. And in fact the menorah – that 7 branched lamp from the Temple, with an olive branch on each side – has become the emblem of the State of Israel.
The Chanukiah is a menorah, in that it is also a candelabrum. But in addition to having room for nine lights (not seven) it is used for a different purpose, at a different time and in a very different way than the one that was used in the Temple. We use a 9 branched light holder at the holiday of Channukah, a holiday and practice that does not appear in the Jewish Bible, but we learn about from early Rabbinic interpretations.
For each of the 8 nights of the holiday of Hannukah we light an additional candle, so that on the 8th night, there are 8 lights burning. But wait…what’s up with that ninth spot?
The ninth is not for one of the Hannukah lights. It’s a special spot – usually set off from the important 8 slots – for a helper candle, the candle that is used to light the other candles.
Now as usual there are some different traditions regarding Hannukah lighting: some light one Hannukiah for the entire family, and some will make sure to light one Hannukiah for each person. Some prefer candles while others light with olive oil. But what is important is not these details, but rather the point of lighting.
We light the Hannukiah at home, with our families, yes. But we are not commanded to light deep inside, huddled inward, in our family room. We light the Hannukah lights precisely at the seam between private and public, inside and outside, home and the world. At Hannukah we specifically light just outside the front door or at the main window facing the street.
We light at Hannukah in a way that others will see it, in order to publicize the miracle of Hannukah, to share it with the world. We are obligated to light in a way, and at a time, that others will be able to see them.
For all of us, may the light we uncover and share this Hannukah only increase in power and intensity and holiness, and radiate out from our homes to the entire world.
About the author:
Dr. Faydra Shapiro is a specialist in contemporary Jewish-Christian relations and is the Director of the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations. She received the National Jewish Book Award for her first publication (2006). Her most recent book, with Gavin d'Costa, is Contemporary Catholic Approaches to the People, Land, and State of Israel. Dr. Shapiro is also a Senior Fellow at the Philos Project https://philosproject.org and a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Religions at Tel Hai College in Israel https://english.telhai.ac.il.