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What is the 9th candle on the menorah called?

by Rhyley Bryan

What is the 9th candle on the menorah called?

shamash
The ninth branch holds a candle, called the shamash (“helper” or “servant”), used to light the other eight. The Hanukkah menorah commemorates, but is distinct from, the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.

What is the difference between a 7 candle menorah and a 9 candle menorah?

A menorah, which has only seven candleholders, was the lamp used in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem — now a symbol of Judaism and an emblem of Israel. A Hanukkiah, however, has nine candlesticks — one for each night of Hanukkah and an extra one to light the others.

What does the menorah symbolize in Judaism?

The menorah symbolized the ideal of universal enlightenment. The menorah also symbolizes the creation in seven days, with the center light representing the Sabbath.

What do the menorah candles symbolize?

Menorah. The Menorah – the candelabra – that the Jewish people light every Chanukah is connected to the Menorah that the Priests lit in the Temple every day.

  • Miracles Every Day. We light the Menorah 8 times.
  • Thankfulness. That is perhaps the greatest of all miracles – the very existence of life itself.

    • What are menorah candles called?

    Lighting the Chanukah Menorah. Each night during Chanukah Jews light candles in a special candelabra called a Menorah (Hebrew: Hanukiyah). The center candle, called the Shamash, is always the first candle placed in the Menorah and the first candle to be lit each night.

    What color is a Menorah Candle?

    Candles in a menorah are most commonly white, but any color can be used. Hanukkah lasts for eight days, and each night one lit candle is added to the menorah. So, on the first night, the first candle is lit using the ninth candle, the Shamash (attendant). The next night, two candles are lit.

    Why do some menorahs have 7 branches?

    The 7 branches menorah’s made dates back to the ancient times during the period of the first temple in jerusalem and has been a symbol of Judaism. The 7 branches menorah’s made is a means of remembering the period of the temple and it is also meant to serve as a reminder of how God created the earth with everything in it in seven days.