This week's Torah Parasha Beha'alotcha tells us about the kindling of the Menorah. There are different versions about the shape of the Temple Menorah. When you walk around in Jerusalem's Old City today, in the Jewish Quarter, then you find a model of the Menorah exhibited either in the Cardo or near the Kotel (Western Wall).
Here a picture of that model:
The Jewish historian Josephus Flavius wrote that after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Romans stole the Menorah and took it to Rome. Until today you can see the below picture on the Arch of Titus in Rome.
Many sources claim that until today, the Vatican is hiding the Jewish Temple Menorah !
The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135 - 1204), however, said that the real shape of the Menorah wasn't round at all but rather looked like this:
Photo: Chabad
BS"D
ReplyDeleteWell, not only Rambam. Also Rashi explicitely says so. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Lubavitch demonstrated that the only possible shape is the one in Rambam's drawing.
B"H
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Rashi states the same as the Rambam.
As soon as it comes to the matter of the "round" Temple Menorah being exhibited in the Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), Chabad is going wild. I experienced this several times when I still studied with Chabad.
The question, however, is why the picture on the Arch of Titus shows the round Menorah ? Shoudn't the picture show the true Menorah including its shape ?
BS"D
ReplyDeleteYou can find that Rashi in Shemot 25, 32. It clearly speaks about diagonal arms. And of course, between the version of our enemies and the opinion of Rambam and Rashi, we believe our Sages of blessed memory.
The most obvious reason why the Menorah of Titus is wrong in many details (not only in the shape of the arms) is that those who did it under the orders of Titus never saw the real Menorah, which according to our Sages never moved from its hidding place in Jerusalem, Baruch Hashem. So they did it according to their own understanding, with snakes and other amenities.
I was there a couple of years ago and one of those stupid guides with the umbrella said that the Menorah was melted and the gold used for other purposes. An American lady answered: "Well, if it melted, that means that it was not the real one..."
Now that the zionists have adopted the Roman shape, it is even more difficult to take it away from people's mind. As if Ben Gurion knew better than Rambam what was the shape of the real Menorah...
B"H
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for clarification !
If the menorah in the picture is the one overlooking the kotel--beware. That was funded by the xtians. They had a big hoopla over it some time ago. Great that they make a dedication, but sick that they are trying to take over our traditions.
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteI thought that this particular Menorah is the one from the Cardo. I've seen it for years in the Cardo and then it disappeared and was suddenly placed in front of the Kotel.
Let's take the xtians over what they want but they will never be Jewish and have our real tradition.