Word of the Day

: November 28, 2021

menorah

noun muh-NOR-uh

What It Means

A menorah is a candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship.

// At sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, Aaron's father helped him light the first candle on the menorah.

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menorah in Context

"The world's largest menorah went up in Manhattan on Tuesday and will be lit on Thursday after sundown…." — ABC7 (New York), 10 Dec. 2020

Did You Know?

In English, menorah was originally the name for the seven-branched candelabra used in Jewish worship. The nine-branched Hanukkah candelabra is called hanukkiah in Hebrew, but English speakers came to use menorah for this too. The Hanukkah menorah recalls expulsion by Judah Maccabee of invading forces from the Temple of Jerusalem. Maccabee and his followers sought oil for the temple's menorah so that the sanctuary could be rededicated, but they found only enough oil for a single day. Miraculously, that tiny amount of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply could be obtained. The Hanukkah menorah includes a candle for each day the oil burned, plus the shammes, a "servant candle" that is used to light the others.