[Avodah] SEMI CRICLE MENORAH

[T613K at aol.com]

From: "Menachem Posner" _menachemp at juno.com_ (mailto:menachemp at juno.com) 


>>Incidentally,  I understand that the Lubavitcher rebbe’s preference of 
straight arms over  circular ones was only since he saw the circular ones as an 
outgrowth of  non-Jewish, mistaken beliefs (such as Shaar Titus) not as a 
requirement in the  mitzvah of Chanukah. In fact the Chabad Minhag is to use a 
menorah with a back,  and no arms, so that there is no ambiguity as to which side 
is the right  side.<<



>>>>>
1.  I very much doubt that the curved arms of the menorah on the Arch  of 
Titus were the product of a "mistaken belief" about how the menorah in the  bhm"k 
looked.  The Romans actually /had/ looted the menorah and really did  carry 
it through the streets of Rome -- they knew what it looked like. Also, all  the 
many ancient depictions of the menorah -- on old tiled  synagogue floors, for 
example -- all show the menorah with curved  arms.  The straight-arm look has 
a decidedly modern, technological and IMO  aesthetically displeasing look to 
it.
 
2.  You say that "the Chabad Minhag is to use a menorah with a  back, and no 
arms."  You must be from the old-line Chabad.  That  probably /used/ to be the 
Chabad minhag but the current "ancient" ten-year-old  Chabad minhag is to 
have ALL the Chanuka menorahs with those modernistic  straight arms. 
 
3.  To make it clear what we're talking about -- we're talking about  arms 
that curve, but the tops, i.e., the flames, are all in a  straight line. To have 
the row of flames form a semi-circle would seem  to be halachically 
problematic.  As you know, the shamash has to be in  a different line from all the 
other lights -- higher or lower OR FORWARD of the  other lights.  If the other 
lights can be some forward, some backward, then  the placing of the shamash 
becomes problematic.

 


--Toby  Katz
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