The Symbolic Significance of the Menorah

The aim of this article is to examine the symbolic significance of the menorah (the seven-branched candlestick) in Judaism, based on various literary sources and artistic/archaeological evidence. Many scholars have engaged with this issue and have considered it as expressing various symbolic ideas. Although some of the ancient secular literary sources also refer to the symbolic significance of the menorah, this theme should necessarily be viewed within the relevant traditional, orthodox, rabbinic sources.