THE MENORAH

BY REV. RANDY FELTON

Exodus 25:31-40 gives the instruction for making the golden lamp. Verse 40 says the lamps are to be made "after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain" (NAS). The descriptions of the seven branches of the menorah and its decorations are very thorough. In the discourse, however, there is no mention of the base, its dimensions or design. This is an important issue which deserves to be discussed.

If you visit the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, you can see a replica or a full sized model of the Great Menorah as it was used in the Temple. Its pattern is taken from scripture and writings, but it also is dependent especially the bas-relief depiction on the "Arch of Titus" in Rome. This arch shows the Romans returning in triumph after the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. carrying Temple treasures with them, including the Great Menorah. The base of the menorah depicted on the Arch of Titus is two tiered and hexagonal in design. This is the pattern used by the Temple Institute. Since the double hexagon creates twelve sides, many have speculated that this part of the design emphasized the twelve tribes of Israel.

Now comes the question raised by archeology. It the Titus depiction the proper base for the menorah? We may not know the answer, but we do have some clues.

Some time ago, I noticed a menorah carved on a lintel from the synagogue, a fourth century building in Capernaum. This Menorah shows a three-legged base, rather that the traditional two-tiered hexagonal base.

But, there is more. In Jerusalem while excavating for a house in the Jewish Quarter, workmen uncovered and ancient priestly home. On a stone tablet in this home is a carving of the menorah with instructions for the order of lighting the flames. The menorah in this carving is depicted as having a triangular base, and it appears to be three legged. This archaeological evidence suggests that the base of the original menorah may have looked much different than the design on the arch of Titus.

All this brings a question to my mind. Sure, it is of a speculative nature, but it begs to be asked just the same. Was the menorah carried off by the Romans, the Great Menorah of the Temple, or was it a fake designed by the Jews to preserve the Great Menorah? If the latter were the case, where is the Great Menorah?

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