(9.) Menorah: The Giant Lampstands at the Feast of Tabernacles

(9.) Menorah: The Giant Lampstands at the Feast of Tabernacles. 

What is the Menorah? “Menorah” is a Hebrew word that simply means light-bearer, or the place that shines and gives light. Menorah and lampstand are treated as synonyms throughout the Bible, even with its variations down through biblical history. The first official menorah was made according to very precise spec’s from Lord Yahweh Himself given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. As with every other piece of furniture in the wilderness Tabernacle, every piece meant something profound, and was a shadow of a heavenly thing to help us understand God better (Hebrew 8:5). Included in the Lord’s instructions regarding the Lampstand were items like these (refer to Exodus 25 and various rabbinic sources):

1. It is to be shaped by hammering out one large piece of pure gold that weighs around 75 pounds;
2. It is to be large enough to completely light up the interior of the Holy Place, and according to rabbinic tradition the Lampstand was about 5 feet tall and over 3 feet in width;
3. It is to have a central shaft resting on a golden base with six branches extending outwards, three shafts on each side facing the central branch in the middle;
4. It was to be made with a cup on top of each branch to be refilled daily with olive oil to fuel the lights;
5. It was to be fueled by pure olive oil and was not to be made for candles;
6. It had one end of the wick in the oil stored in each cup at the branch’s top, and the other end, the lighted end, hanging out to be burned;
7. It was designed to look like a tree, complete with elaborately decorated images of a flowering almond tree that had leaves, blossoms, buds and flowers, which is why in many rabbinic sources the Lampstand was called the Tree of Light;
8. It was to be lighted every evening and kept burning through the night until morning;
9. It was to receive daily maintenance by the priests that involved cleaning the Lampstand, trimming the wicks, and refilling the cups of olive oil on each branch;
10. It was for private use by the priests inside the Tabernacle and not to be seen by worshipers outside;
11. It was to be carefully covered by a special blue cloth and a layer of fine leather when the Israelites broke camp and continued their wandering.

The Light Show. No holy Feast in the Hebrew Bible captured the meaning of joy and light quite like the autumn festival known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The faithful Jews were primed for joy and celebration since this Feast was just five days after their very solemn Day of Atonement. Light was a featured component of this required Feast of the Lord since it celebrated the momentous time when the light of the Shekinah glory fell on the Temple during Solomon’s dedication, and the light of God’s presence descended from heaven to light the fire on the altar (1 Kings 8, 2 Chron. 7). Also celebrated was the divine pillar of light that guided the Israelites during those 40 years in the wilderness. Light was therefore a dominant theme throughout this Feast. The Feast of Tabernacles became the most popular Feast with the Jewish people, the most highly anticipated Feast, because it was so filled with joy and the dramatics of the Light Ceremony.

Little Lights Everywhere. Place yourself in the crowded Temple during Jesus’ day. It is filled to overflowing with Jewish pilgrims who have come from every village in Israel, and many faithful Jews have traveled in large caravans from foreign countries to be a part of the festivities. Because the Feast includes the Festival of Booths to commemorate the Lord’s presence and care during the 40-year wilderness journey, there are makeshift booths everywhere, lining the streets of Jerusalem and dotting the countryside surrounding the city. Literally hundreds of campfires lit up the hills and fields near Jerusalem, and all the pilgrims grew increasingly excited as the night fell.

Giant Lampstands and Torch Dances in the Temple. The crowded Temple during the Feast at night captured the hearts of the people, for this is what they would see and experience in the courtyard… There were four towering lampstands in the center of the Court of women, seven stories high, 75 feet tall, each with four branches of oil lamps. Their wicks were made from the worn-out linen garments of the priests. Each lampstand had four long ladders leading up to the lamps, all of which were kept burning throughout the night. The giant lampstands were continually being filled by young priests carrying large pitchers that contained almost eight gallons of pure olive oil. The brilliant lights beaming from these huge lampstands could be seen throughout Jerusalem, and reportedly illuminated the courtyard in every home in the city. The drama continues… All night long, for six straight nights, elders of the Sanhedrin performed impressive torch dances while the bright lights of the lampstands illumined the Temple and the streets and homes of the city. It called to mind the Shekinah glory from Solomon’s day, as well as the glory of the Lord shining in the night sky during their historic wilderness wanderings.

Inspired Songs. To add to the excitement during the Light Ceremony, after the torch dances a group of priests would stand at the top of the fifteen steps that led down to the courtyard. At the sound of the Temple musicians on their flutes, trumpets and harps, the priests would sing the fifteen Psalms of Degrees (Psalms 120-134). With every new psalm, they descended to the next step until they completed the psalms at the bottom step. Can you imagine the excitement in the crowd as they repeated this Light Ceremony every night from the 2nd night to the final 7th night? It was all done in the spirit of joyful celebration and worship, and it was the best show in town.

Messiah and Shekinah Light. Joy and light were not the only themes during the Feast of the Tabernacles. The other main theme was Messiah. During the Light Ceremony the people were dramatically reminded of the messianic “Great Light” prophesied in Isaiah 9, as well as the anticipated return of the Shekinah light during the days of the promised messianic era in Ezek. 43:1-6.  So in the Jewish mind light and Messiah were intimately connected. The people would know about the rabbinic insight that light was often used in Scripture as a reference to the Messiah… Star out of Jacob, Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the Nations, the Light of Israel, the Refiner’s Fire, the Burning Lamp.  After six nights of the Light Ceremony, the anticipation of the Messiah was at a fever pitch during this Feast. The question on everyone’s lips during this Feast… When would the Messiah come to bring His divine light to overcome the darkness of the world?

“I Am The Light Of This World” Jorma Kaukonen Live on BRI TV

I Am the Living Fulfillment of All This Light! Jesus chose that particular day, the Sabbath day immediately after the Feast of the Tabernacles, to teach in the Temple. This was just after the national focus on light and Messiah. On the Eighth Day, called the “Last Good Day,” Jesus declared in the Temple, “I AM the Light of the World! Whoever follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life!”(John 8:12). Not only did He claim here, with His I AM statement, that He was in spiritual union with and equal to Yahweh, but He also claimed that He was what this whole Light Ceremony was all about! He said that He lights up the world just like these lampstands lit up the Temple. In being The Light, Jesus is claiming to be the fulfillment of messianic Scripture. He is claiming to be the Messiah! Later that same day, Jesus repeated this claim when He healed the blind man… “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Could Jesus have been any clearer as to His divine identity? It was just as Matthew put it, “You who spend your days shrouded in darkness can now say, ‘We have seen a brilliant light.’ And those who live in the dark shadowland of death can now say, ‘The dawning light arises on us.” (Matt. 4:16, Isaiah 9:2).

I Am The Light Of This World – YouTube

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… The true light which gives light to everyone.” (John 1:1-5, 9).