What is Menorah (Hanukkah)?
[[File:Hanukia.jpg|thumb|upright|A Hanukkah menorah]][[File:Chanukia.jpg|thumb|upright|A silver hanukkiah.]][[File:Truman receives menorah.jpg|thumb|upright|U.S. President [[Harry S. Truman]] (left) receiving a hanukkiah in the [[Oval Office]] as a gift from Israeli Prime Minister [[David Ben-Gurion]] (center) alongside Israel's Ambassador Abba Eban (right), 1951.]] The '''Hanukkah menorah''', also known as '''''Hanukiah''''' or '''''Chanukiah''''' ({{lang-he|מנורת חנוכה}}), is a nine-branched lamp or candleholder used on the [[Judaism|Jewish]] holiday of Hanukkah. It is used to celebrate, remember, and honor the historical [[miracle of Hanukkah]]. Its shape is an upright stand with eight equal branches to hold a candle or oil with a wick.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2001/hanukkah-menorah|title=Exhibition: The Hanukkah Menorah|publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|date=November 21, 2001|access-date=December 23, 2019}}</ref> A ninth branch, at the center or to one side and usually taller, is the ''shamash'' ({{lang-he|helper}}). The ''shamash'' is lit first, then used to light the others, while a prayer is recited. One of the branches is lit on the first night, two on the second, etc., which lasts eight nights. The Hanukkah menorah commemorates, but is distinct from, the [[Menorah (Temple)|seven-branched menorah]] used in the ancient [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. Along with the seven-branched menorah and the [[Star of David]], it is among the most widely produced articles of Jewish ceremonial art.<ref>{{cite book|title = Judaism A-Z: Lexicon of Terms and Concepts|first1= Yacov|last1= Newman|first2= Gavriel|last2= Sivan|publisher = Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora of the World Zionist Organization|date = 1980}}</ref> ==Construction== To be [[kosher]], the ''shamash'' must be offset on a higher or lower plane than the main eight candles or oil lamps, but there are differing opinions as to whether all the lights must be arranged in a straight line, or if