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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>From: "Menachem Posner" <A
href="mailto:menachemp@juno.com">menachemp@juno.com</A><BR><BR><BR>>>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.<<<BR><BR></FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B><BR></B><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</B></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's new at <A title="http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170" href="http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170" target="_blank">AOL.com</A> and <A title="http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169" href="http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169" target="_blank">Make AOL Your Homepage</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>