“The purely righteous do not complain of the dark, they increase the light; they do not complain of evil, they increase the good; they do not complain of heresy, but increase faith; they do not complain of ignorance, they increase wisdom.”
R’ Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook
“When you the lamps, �let the seven lamps give light �at the front of the menorah.”�Numbers 8:2
בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹת אֶל־מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת הַנֵּרוֹת׃
light
raise up
Rashi on Exodus 25:32 says it was diagonal - בַּאֲלַכְסוֹן
Rambam Mishnah Menachot 3:7
Rambam’s Drawing
Photo Credit: Yonidebest, Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Carole Raddato, Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Hanay, Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Yoav Dothan, Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: British Museum
Mattatias Antigonus, 40 BCE – 37BCE
“With all 7 seven branches protruding from a single stem, the Menorah had a total of 42 adornments: �22 goblets, 9 flowers, �and 11 bulbs.”
R’ Yaakov Raskin, The Menorah: �Its Story and Mystery, Chabad.org
Spirit of HaShem
Wisdom
Counsel
Knowledge
Fear of HaShem
Might
Understanding
(1) The Spirit of HaShem will rest on him, �(2) the Spirit of Wisdom
(3) and Understanding
(4) the Spirit of counsel
(5) and Might
(6) the Spirit of knowledge
(7) and of the Fear of Hashem.”� Isaiah 11:2
“Grace be unto you, and shalom, from Him who is and was, and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne...”
Revelation 1:4
“I saw seven golden menorahs. And among the menorahs was one like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters. He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.”�Revelation 1:12-16
208
אור = Ohr, Light�אין סוף = Ein Sof, Infinity�רז = Raz, Secret
“And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.”
Genesis 1:3
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אֹור וַיְהִי־אֹור
“The light which the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day was such that man could see thereby from one end of the universe to the other.”�Leviticus Rabbah 11:7, Soncino Press Edition
“I form the light,
and create darkness.”
Isaiah 45:7
Ein Sof Ohr
Infinite Light
“. . . the concept of “creation” means “something from nothing,” while “formation” is “something from something”. Light emanates from God’s essence, and is therefore “something from something”. Darkness, on the other hand, is a completely novel concept, and has no relationship to God. It is therefore “created” – “something from nothing.” . . . All creation was originally filled with the Light of the Infinite Being, and therefore, “darkness”, which is the restraint and constriction of this Light, was something completely novel. It is for this reason that the word “created” is used with regard to darkness. The thread of Light that entered this darkness of the Vacated Space, however, had its origin in the original Infinite Light, and is therefore said to be “formed.”�Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Commentary on the Bahir, pg. 99
“For the commandment
is a lamp, and the�Torah is light.”
Proverbs 6:23
And this was the work of the menorah . . . from its shaft to its flowers (8:4)
�“The menorah also represents the Torah, the source of divine light in the world. This is alluded to in the menorah’s design, which is detailed in the 25th chapter of Exodus. The menorah had 7 branches, 11 knobs, 9 flowers and 22 goblets, and was 17 handbreadths in height. These numbers represent the five books of the Written Torah: the first verse in the book of Genesis has 7 words, the first verse of Exodus has 11 words, the first verse of Leviticus has 9 words, the first verse of Numbers has 17 words, and the first verse of Deuteronomy—22 words.”
Divrei Noam cited at Chabad.org
וְאֶת־מְנֹרַת הַמָּאֹור וְאֶת־כֵּלֶיהָ וְאֶת־נֵרֹתֶיהָ וְאֵת שֶׁמֶן הַמָּאֹור׃
“…the Menorah also for the light (ha-ma’or), with its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light (ha-ma’or).”�Exodus 35:14
“…After this it is written, ‘oil for the light’ – this is King Messiah, as it says, “I will make the horn of David grow, I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.” (Psalm 132:17)�Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat T’rumah 7�Cited in Concealed Light, Dr. Tsvi Sadan, Vine of David, pg. 232
אור העולם = משיח�Ohr HaOlam = Mashiach�Light of the World�= Messiah
358
“After six days, Yeshua took with him Kefa, Ya`akov, and Yochanan his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. Behold, Moshe and Eliyahu appeared to them talking with him.”
Matthew 17:1-5
"What are those two olive trees on the right and left sides of the menorah?" "Those are the two who have been anointed with oil, �they are standing with the Lord of all the land."
Zechariah 4:11-14
"The lamp symbolizes the soul, as it is written, "The soul of man is the lamp of God" (Proverbs 20:27). When you wish to light up the soul, you must do so toward the "face" or countenance of the Menorah - this is the tzaddik, whose countenance shines for all Israel. This countenance will light up even the darkest nights and the darkest places."
Rebbe Nachman's Torah, Beha'alotkha, Volume III, Breslov Research Institute, pg. 40
“The “seven lamps” of our inner ‘Menorah’ that we need to light are our seven Midos / character traits: Kindness, Power, Unification, Perseverance, Humility, Alignment, and Sovereignty. Shelomo HaMelech / King Solomon reveals (Mishlei, 24:16), “A righteous person falls seven times and gets up….” This also refers to our seven Midos. The journey of our life often includes setbacks, challenges to our character, and times when we feel our light is weakened. These are points when we need to do something that will help us “get up” and “make our lights rise.”
Pinson, Dovber. Awakenings: Drawing Life from the Weekly Torah Reading (pp. 311-312). IYYUN PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.
“The menorah represents the people of Israel, G‑d’s “light unto the nations.” Its many components attest to the fact that the Jewish nation is comprised of different tribes, and includes individuals from all walks of life.”
The Lubavitcher Rebbe
Cited at Chabad.org
“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cant be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אוֹרוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם
Genesis Rabbah 59:5
“This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”�John 3:19-21
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”�John 1:4-5