The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp ancient Hebrew lampstand made of pure gold and used in the tabernacle set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil was burned daily to light its lamps.

When was the first menorah found?

The original Hanukkah menorah dates to 164 B.C.E., when a band of Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, defeated its Syrian oppressors in a hard-fought battle. As the Jews reclaimed their temple and lit its golden candelabrum, their only supply of oil, which should have run out after one day, miraculously lasted for eight.

What was the original menorah?

The seven-branched menorah was originally found in the wilderness sanctuary and then later in the Temple in Jerusalem and was a popular motif of religious art in antiquity. An eight-branched menorah modeled after the Temple menorah is used by Jews in rites during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah.