By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz.com
If you asked a Chabad Lubavitch Hassid, they would tell you the shape of the gold seven-branched candelabra that stood in the Second Temple, and which gave its form to the nine-branched Hanukkiah used today, was not rounded, as it appears on the emblem of the State of Israel and on the Arch of Titus.
Based on a drawing by Maimonides 800 years ago, Chabad says the Temple menorah’s branches emerged at 45 degree angles from the central branch, thus giving Chabad Hanukkiahs throughout the world their distinctive triangular shape.
However, that theory is now facing a challenge in the form of a new book published by the Temple Institute in Jerusalem’s Old City. The elegantly designed book, titled “A Menorah of Pure Gold,” pulls the scholarly rug out from under Chabad’s differently shaped candelabra.
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the head of the Temple Institute and the author of the book, supports the curved-branch theory. He states that Maimonides’ manuscript that Chabad bases its design on was meant to be only a rough sketch. Maimonides himself explains this in the text near the drawing.
The new book presents dozens of early drawings of the Temple menorah discovered in archaeological excavations around the world from the Second Temple period and thereafter, in all of which the menorah has rounded branches rather than straight ones.
According to the research, a menorah with rounded branches was used even in Maimonides’ own synagogue in Cairo, dating a century before his time.
Ariel explains that the menorah on the relief on the Arch of Titus in Rome was presented first in the Hall of Peace where the Romans displayed other spoils from the Temple. He says that Josephus Flavius described how the menorah came to the Romans via a priest who was left alive on condition that he bring all the gold vessels to them. Ariel says that according to Josephus, in exchange for his life, the priest “went and got two gold menorahs in the shape of the Temple menorahs, but not the original menorah.”
This shows, according to Ariel, that the theory may be true that the original menorah was buried at the time under the ruins of the Temple.
Among the ancient drawings of menorahs with rounded branches that appear in Ariel’s book is one from the Herodian Mansions beneath the Wohl Torah Center in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, a drawing of a menorah in a catacomb of Beit She’arim, the burial place of Mishna compiler Rabbi Judah Hanasi, and others.
This is what happens when people take themselves too seriously. Archeology is a retrospective science; it does not test hypotheses, rather it surmises based on findings. It is most often a tremendous asset, but it is certainly not foolproof. I once had a brilliant melamed (ULY 10th grade 5752) who explained that the “rough sketch” of the Ramabam was inexact insofar is it was not drawn to scale. For example, you’ll notice that the “prachim” are not all at the same height. In addition, as explained at length in the Miller’s book on the 8th principle of the Rambam based… Read more »
This guy is doing nothing more than showing off his am haratzus. The rebbe goes in to detail about each of his complaints. The rebbe was also an engineer who read blue prints very well, and during the war supervised ship building based on blue prints. What blue prints did the wisenheimer read??? Many meforshim connect parshas mike?tz to chanuka based on the sheva kanim stocks of corn that paroh dreamed. What is the connection to corn if they are round. But give this guy a break he needs his fifteen minutes of fame. I am sure the rebbe would… Read more »
i dont know halacha but this seems to be the archeologist versus the sefer usually the sefer can win all the best u are right #3 someone who doesnt 2nd guess the amount of knowledge of him against giants is a dangerous fool which sadly seems to be very prevalent in different circles these forms of knowledge think that they know better then other people and must be STAMPED OUT after all they do like chabad take some measure of responsibility for the jewish people and they beileve they can introduce torah to the new and revised tested edition be… Read more »
This is a much better headline then the one that was used for this article on the hebrew site! Keep it up!
I give tours to Israel, and each time this ‘guy’ sees me a “Chabadnik” is there, he takes time to openly say the Rebbe is not right with his teachings. It’s embarressing! Since then .. I have never taken my tours there. Would anyone ever take a tour to see Shach? Then why go there? We Chabad people have $ to use in boycott!
if you look at the bottom of sketch and at the cups on the branches, the Rambam knew how to draw a curved line. if he meant it to be a rough sketch of a round menorah he would have rounded the branches!!
without going into detail… and as the Rebbe has Explained before, there were many menorah’s in the Bais Hamikdash. they all could have been round. the drawing of the rambam refers to THE Menorah.