2,000 Year-Old Sketch of Menorah Found in Jerusalem
Exciting finds, including an intact Roman era sword and a stone “sketch” engraving of the Menorah, have been discovered in archeological digs near the Temple Mount recently, and the Antiquities Authority is making them known for Tisha B’Av – the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction.
The Authority has been digging – with assistance from the Parks and Gardens Authority and the sponsorship of the NGO Elad – in the ancient drainage canal that served Jerusalem. This ditch runs from the Shiloach (Siloam) Pool to the archeological garden near the Kotel.
Inside the canal, where Jerusalemites hid from the Romans during the siege of the Second Temple, a 2,000-year-old iron sword was found. The sword was inside a leather scabbard. Parts of the belt that carried the scabbard were also found.
Eli Shukrun and Ronny Reich, who are in charge of the digs, said that the sword “may have belonged to a Roman infantryman who was stationed in Jerusalem when the Great Rebellion broke out in 66 CE.”
“The sword is surprisingly well-preserved: not just in terms of length – about 60 cm. – but also in the preservation of the leather scabbard… and some of its decorations.”
At the side of the canal, a stone tablet was found with a rare etching of the golden Menorah that was a central item in the Jewish Temple. The archeologists note that the fact that it was found very close to the Mount is very important, and they surmise that “a person who had seen the real Menorah and was impressed by its beauty engraved its image on a slab of stone and then threw it to the side of the road, not imagining that his creation would be found 2,000 years later.”
The sketch describes a five-branched menorah, while the Temple Menorah had seven branches.
ipche mistabre
For sure, try to scratch a rounded branch into stown, good luck!
emun
its exciting that alot of these discoveries of such things come around, or on Tisha b’av.
Moshiach NOW, AD MOSSAI
Cma
The rebbe explained that there were many menorahs of every shape and size – but that the one in the heichal was as the rambams illustration.
Milhouse
What are you talking about? The branches in the sketch are clearly curved, as well as the person scratching it could make them.
Mendy the historian Wanabe
Very sketchy-lol
On the right side it looks like the Rambams, however on the left side it doesn’t. It even appears as if the individual attempted to make it round. Stam an observation possibly from an observant Jew!
Chaim
they seem just as curved as they are diagonal..
i must be stupid
i must be stupid
to all you guys
ih they carver wanted to make them round he would have look at the base of the menorah that he carved there he managed to make them nice and round
i am shocked millhouse who is a genius didnt see that
john
as no. 3 sadi the Rebbes shito is that there were lots of littles menorahs all around the beis hamikdosh for purposes of light and those were round i believe the fact that this is round and has 5 branches is proof of that.
abc
Comment #3 says it best.
I knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So the Rambam was right!!!!!!!!!!
Milhouse
#7, what are you talking about? The base is hardly more curved than the arms. The person doing this was clearly no expert in carving in stone, but he did the best he could to show curves. If the arms were straight he’d have had a much easier time and the lines would be straight.
Face facts: we have MANY ancient drawings of the menorah, including by people who had seen it themselves, and they all have curved branches. When the menorah was used as a national symbol it was clearly the menorah in the BHMK, not some other menorah! Why would anyone use some random candlestick as a national symbol? There is NO evidence for straight arms at all.
Even the Rambam doesn’t say the arms were straight. The only rishonim who comment on the shape of the arms are Rashi and R Avraham ben Harambam, who both say they were straight, but of course neither of them saw it themselves, and they don’t quote any tradition.
When will this insanity stop??
Even a clear picture makes people think otherwise?
Ad mosai?????
Praying to See the Real Menorah
Since in other comments I severely criticized “Milhouse,” let me now for a change commend him for his above remarks (nos. 4 and 11). Here he seems to have recovered from his frequent inability to counter the at best silly idea that the Rebbe zt”l was/is “all-knowing,” “perfect,” a “prophet” and “unerring.” Maybe there still is some hope for him and others like him.
Incidentally, as far as I am aware the Rebbe zt”l never commented on the exact angle at which the Menorah’s branches are represented as being in the Rambam’s diagram, which is noticeably sharper than 45 degrees off of center/vertical. It is apparent that neither this particular angle, nor the relative sizes of the ornaments, were ever meant to be exact in the Rambam’s schematic diagram.
At any rate, all the archeological discoveries, “emes ma’eretz tizmach,” revealed after the Rebbe zt”l’s sichos about the shape of the Menorah, now confirm, without exception, that the branches were, and should be, made with a curved shape, and not straight out at a diagonal.
Probably for most applications the straight-out diagonal design would be fine, and perhaps b’shas hadechak, with no other alternative, it would even be kosher for use in the Bais Hamikdosh, for as indicated from the story in the Gemorah that the Chashmonoim — unable to use the original Menorah, which was either taken as spoils by the Greeks or rendered impure — initially used plain iron rods fashioned together as the temporary Menorah, and it is most likely that these iron rods were straight and not curved. Later though, the Chashmonoim proceeded to successively plate the iron rods first with wood, then tin, then silver and then with gold in order to beautify the mitzvah. It is clear now that, mehadrin min hamehadrin, either the original Menorah with curved branches was eventually repaired and purified, or a new golden Menorah with the originally shaped curved branches was made and used.
I second the sentiments of the above commenter who said Ad Mosai to the Insanity, and more, Ad Mosai to the entire Golus. May we merit to see the rekindled Menorah, in a manner of mehadrin min hamehadrin, in the rebuilt Bais Hamikdosh, bimhara b’yomainu.
Yoisef
The center stem in the sketch is 100% straight. So the carver knew how to make a perfectly straight line (he also did it on the bottom of the base.
I take issue with the caption under the picture. The Rebbe’s “opinion” is not “vindicated” here, nor does it need to be.
Rashi says it in Chumash, and Rambam illustrated it that way. The Rebbe just pointed this out to the world.
DOes this find proove anything–who cares! Ein achar divrei Ben Amram klum!
This proves nothing
I don’t think we can learn much of anything from this etching of the menorah with only 5 branches that looks like it was done by a 7-year old. If the “artist” couldn’t get the number of branches straight how can you learn out anything from the shape of the branches that aren’t quite straight but aren’t quite curved either? It certainly doesn’t prove or disprove anything.
Praying to See the Real Menorah
To 15 – This proves nothing:
Your comment only reflects on your inability to confront reality. It seems that you yourself are reacting like a 7-year old. When will you grow up already.
Aren’t you really concerned, not about the Menorah itself, but rather about “protecting” the Rebbe zt”l from any observations that he was not all-knowing and incapable of making a mistake? Do you really believe he is as Perfect as G-d or that he is One with G-d? That sounds like a different religion to me.
Our holy Torah makes it clear that even Moshe Rabbeinu was capable of error, and he humbly admitted to it when it was pointed out to him. The same with Dovid Hamelch. The same with all Tzadikim and Rabbei’im, and the same with the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l. He olov hasholom was no different. By adding you only detract, and woefully so.
You are blinded by juvenile notions of the Rebbe’s infallibility. Instead of scoffing immaturely at this discovery of an ancient representation of the Menorah, praise Hashem for granting us the privilege of seeing it.
Thank You HaShem!