from the teachings of the Rebbe
"And he made the candlestick of pure gold," we read in this week's Torah portion, Vayakhel. "And six branches were coming out of its sides: three branches of the candlestick out of its one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side."
Surprisingly, a widespread misconception exists concerning the menora that stood in the Holy Temple.
This misconception, whose origin lies in non-Jewish sources, has unfortunately filtered down into Jewish circles, resulting in a faulty understanding of the genuine appearance of the menora.
In truth, the six side branches of the seven-branched candelabrum rose upward diagonally in a straight line from the center; they were not, as is commonly pictured, rounded in a bow-shape.
What makes this error even more regrettable is that it is derived from the famous Arch of Titus, may his name be blotted out forever.
The Roman emperor, seeking to memorialize his destruction of the Second Holy Temple and his pillage of the Temple's vessels, commissioned a work to secure his place in history. Its depiction of the menora, however, is not an accurate representation of the one that was stolen from the Beit HaMikdash. Titus wished to improve upon the original and therefore "beautified" it by rounding out its branches.
The Hebrew word for "branch" -- "kaneh" -- alludes to the menora's true shape, for its literal meaning is "a reed" -- a plant which grows at the water's edge in an unbending, straight line.
Both Maimonides and Rashi concur that the branches of the menora were straight; Maimonides even drew a picture of the menora so there would be no room for doubt.
It is of the utmost importance that this ancient forgery, which, unfortunately, has found its way into many synagogues and study halls, be corrected once and for all, and the true form of the holy menora be accurately depicted.
Another interesting feature of the menora was its "cups": "Three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, were on one branch, with a knob and a flower; and three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, were on the other...on the candlestick itself were four cups, shaped like almond blossoms, with its knobs and flowers" -- a total of 22 cups in all.
In his drawings, Maimonides depicts these cups upside-down -- the bottom of the cup on top, the wider opening on the bottom!
What are we to learn from the cups' unusual configuration?
The purpose of the menora was to illuminate -- not only the inside of the Holy Temple, but the entire world.
This concept is also reflected in the fact that the windows of the Beit HaMikdash were constructed to be narrow on the inside yet wider on the outside of the structure, thereby channeling the light of the menora outward, to the world at large.
Similarly, a cup that is upside-down represents the act of pouring out and providing sustenance, symbolic of the Jews' role as "light unto the nations."
Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
