Why are There 9 Candles on the Menorah
December 27, 2011 by Afshin Yaghtin
Filed under Culture and Society, Theos, Tribe and Clan
Why are There 9 Candles on the Menorah?
Our town was holding an annual Menorah lighting service in one of the common shopping districts, where people of the community often gather on a regular basis. My family and I decided to attend for the first time. Being non-Jewish Christians, who believe in the integrity of the Torah (and understand that Jesus, the Messiah was of Jewish descent), my wife and I wondered why there were 9 candlesticks on the menorah, instead of eight (representing Hanukkah), or even seven (representing the original holy candlesticks first described in the book of Exodus).
The short answer as to why there are 9 candlesticks on the menorah: There are 7 candlesticks prescribed in the Bible that resides in the Inner Sanctuary of the Temple, the Miracle after the Maccabean revolt kept the holy candlestick burning for 8 days when there was only enough pure olive oil for one day (which is the 8 days of Hanukkah), yet there are 9 candlesticks on the menorah, which is used to celebrate the Jewish victory and the miracle which occurred. So why 9?
The ninth candle is called the shamash, meaning “helper” or “servant”, which is used to light the other candles. So it is a sort of “starter” or helper candle, and is also used for added illumination.
