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| MENORAH |
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| The Menorah is the seven branch candelabrum. |
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| It is one of the oldest Jewish symbols used in the Great Temple of Jerusalem, |
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| built by King Solomon. |
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| The origin of the menorah is much older than Solomon?s times and derives |
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| from Moses times. |
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| The Menorah was created from pure gold and it?s shape is described in the bible: Exodus 25: 31-40. |
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| Reconstruction of original biblical M. |
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| The lamps were filled with pure olive oil. |
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| It was used continuously. In the morning the lamp was cleaned and they were lit |
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| in the evening. One of the flames was burning all the time. |
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| Aaron (Moses brother), and his sons lit the M. |
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| This holy function was executed by the Kohanim (Priests of the Great Temple) in later times. |
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| The described M. (see Exodus) was placed by King Solomon in the Great Temple |
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| and had a central importance in sacred functions. |
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| In 586 Jerusalem was destroyed by King of Babylon Nebuchadnetzar. |
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| The Great Temple was fired and the holly tools used for religious ritual, were took |
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| as plunder( Jeremia 52:19).The people of Israel is forced to exile. |
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| In 516 A.A. by a permission of king of Persia (the new ruler of the area), the people of Israel finished rebuilding the second Great Temple after returning from the Diaspora. |
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| Among the articles for sacred functions we find a new M. This M. was stolen during the desecration by King Antiochus Epifanes of Syria in 169 B.C. |
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| A new M. was created by the Hasmonean dynasty. |
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| After a revolution against the Romans and heavy fighting, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, took the holy articles from the G.T. and presented them to the people of Rome as proof of their great victory. |
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| Today we are able to see the shape of this M. on the Arch of Titus in Rome. When |
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| we look at it, we see that the upper side of the M. was as described in the old manuscripts of the Bible. Not the base of the M. The possible reason of it may be |
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| that this lower part was broken during the fighting and replaced by Roman artists (in a form used in Rome). |
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Picture of arch of Titus (Rome) |
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| Many legends are connected to the later destiny of the M. and all are fascinating. |
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| Due its importance, the M. served through the ages as a symbol of the, Jewish heritage and tradition. |
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| It also serves as the official emblem of the State of Israel. |
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Emblem of Israel |
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| --- ---- |
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| *M-MENORAH |
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| **G.T.-Great Temple Of Jerusalem |
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