HANUKKAH AND THE MENORAH by Essie Germanow

HANUKKAH AND THE MENORAH

by Essie Germanow

The menorah is the outstanding symbol of Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication.  As can be seen in the annual exhibition at the Gallery, menorahs can be made of a variety of materials—silver, brass, ceramic, iron, etc.—and their designs represent a multitude of sizes and artistic expressions.  Menorahs—literally, light holders—can be used in ceremonies throughout the year, but the eight-light menorah used especially for Hanukkah is called a hanukkiah.

Hanukkah (which can also be spelled Chanuka, Chanukah, or Hannukah) marks the deliverance of Jews of Palestine from the oppression of the Syrian-Greeks in the second century BC.

King Antiochus of Syria had prohibited the observance of sacred Jewish practices and had ordered the Jews living in his territory to worship his idols.  In the year 165 BC, the Jews rebelled.  Under the leadership of Judah Maccabee and his four brothers, sons of Matthias the priest, they succeeded in defeating the Syrian armies.  Once the Jews had recaptured the Temple, they smashed the idols and cleansed and rededicated it.  Hanukkah means rededication.

It is told that when Antiochus and the Syrian-Greeks first captured the Temple, they desecrated all the jugs of oil that the Jewish High Priest had prepared for lighting the Temple menorah, or candelabra.  When the Jews recaptured the Temple, they needed purified oil to relight the menorah. But after much searching, they found only one small jug still bearing the unbroken seal of the High Priest, and this jug contained only enough oil to burn  for one day.  Nevertheless, the High Priest kindled the menorah, and a miracle happened!  The flame continued to burn for eight days.  In commemoration of this miracle, Hanukkah is observed by kindling lights for a series of eight days. Thus Hanukkah became known as the Festival of Lights.  The festival is usually celebrated during the month of Kislav in the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to late November/December.

Today, candles are used in the menorah instead of oil.  One candle is kindled on the first night, two on the second, etc., until eight have been lighted on the last night of the holiday.  The candles are inserted from right to left, but lighted from left to right, the newest addition lighted first each night. (Equal importance is given to the right and left side, indicating God's presence everywhere.)  The ninth candle, usually placed above the rest, is called a sammash, meaning servant, and is used to light the other candles.  A blessing—in remembrance of the miracle and expressing personal gratitude for being alive and well to observe the holiday—is recited over the candles.

Eastern European cities developed their own special food for Hanukkah:  latkes, (pronounced lot-keys), which are potato pancakes.  A game, the Hannukah dreidel (pronounced dray-dull), which resembles the English game of put-and-take, is played.  A dreidel is a four-sided top with a different Hebrew letter on each side.  In recent years, gift-giving on each of the nights of Hanukkah has become commonplace, and community celebrations are in evidence.

To Jews of all ages, the story of Hanukkah dramatically demonstrates that there is no force in the world that can crush the free and dedicated spirit of people of faith.

 

The menorahs in the MAG display are from both public and private collections in Rochester.  Both seven-branched and eight branched examples, made for use with oil as well as with candles, are included.  They have been made in many different countries, from materials ranging from silver to clay, and, like the creches in the Gallery's other annual December display, show a great variety of interpretation.

Possibly the earliest piece in MAG’s yearly display is a small travel hanukkiah made by a 17th-century Dutch silversmith.  There is also usually a group of menorahs made by twentieth-century artists including local Rochester masters Albert Paley, Al Wilson and Kurt Feuerherm.