[Avodah] The shape of the Menorah of the Temple

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 02:01:58PM -0400, Mandel, Seth wrote:
: This new data provides additional support to my central hypothesis, that
: the branches of the menorah were neither semi-circular nor straight.
: Indeed, this depiction is remarkably similar to the only other
: representation we have from the time the Bet haMiqdash was standing,
: and there is no possible way to reconcile these depictions with the
: theory that the branches were straight.

I don't really see the question. Straight branches would require an 11th
daily neis in the BHMQ, as 24 kt gold would bend. I would deduce from
the absence of this item from the list of nissim that the menorah had
a shape that better distributed the stress on a soft metal. Something
close to parabolic.

But I think it merits repeating that this is a historical debate.
Lehalakhah, wouldn't any of these designs be kasher lechat-chilah,
if physically possible?

The problem with reading too much into this depiction is that the
menorah is on top of a square and between two jugs that are as tall as
from the bottom of the square to the top of the menorah. If this were
THE menorah, why are the jugs larger than it? That's neither to physical
scale, nor proportionate to importance. Unless the site had something to
do with providing oil for the menorah, and the menorah was there to show
why the jugs are important. Was Migdal, near Teverya, a place from which
oil was obtained?

See
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32796641/displaymode/1176/rstry/32797473/
for a copy of the photo handed out by the Israeli Antiquities Authority.

I also notice that while not much is shown WRT kaftor vaferach, the
gevi'os appear to me nested and toward the end of each branch.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Our greatest fear is not that we're inadequate,
micha at aishdas.org        Our greatest fear is that we're powerful
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