{"id":42542,"date":"2018-10-21T21:08:37","date_gmt":"2018-10-21T18:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=42542"},"modified":"2023-12-07T07:49:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T05:49:57","slug":"a-real-chanukah-bush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-real-chanukah-bush\/","title":{"rendered":"A Real Hanukkah Bush!"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":50634,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[672,360],"acf":{"old_id":"42542","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34235,"related_cahpter":"75","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Salvia palaestina - the Menorah plant - in Jewish art, worship and history","content":"

Some two thousand years ago, during the era of the Hasmoneans, the menorah, became a prominent symbol of the eternity Jewish people and its connection to the land of Israel. \u00a0The staying power of the symbol is evidenced by the menorah outside the Knesset, with its detailed bronze reliefs depicting important Jewish events and personalities ranging from the Biblical period through the founding of the state of Israel. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The menorah\u2019s description in the Torah is also detailed, but surprisingly in its botanical design. All six of the outer <\/span>branches<\/span> were designed with \u201cthree cups shaped like <\/span>almond-blossoms<\/span>, each with <\/span>knobs <\/span>and <\/span>petals<\/span>.\u201d The middle branch contained four almond-blossoms also with the knobs and petals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commentaries throughout the ages have attempted to draw descriptions of the Menorah, were the branches curved, straight or bent in the middle? Where exactly were the calyxes? The only clue, perhaps, the relief on the arch of Titus in Rome depicting the Romans carrying the menorah in the period following the destruction of the Second Temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the early 20<\/span>th<\/span> century botanists Ephraim and Hannah Hareuveni emigrated from Russia to Israel. They believed that the plants in the Torah could be found growing in Israel, and they began collecting and classifying Biblical plants. In their searches they noticed a resemblance between the Torah\u2019s description of the Menorah (branches, calyxes, petals, and cups) and an oily plant that grows in Israel called the salvia palaestina.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their son Nogah Hareuveni writes that when the salvia is pressed it looks just like the Menorah, with three branches emerging from the central branch, and the knobs growing directly from the stem and branches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the description of the menorah Moses is told \u201cnote well and follow the patterns that you see on the mountain.\u201d The Talmud in tractate Menachot writes that Moses didn\u2019t understand the design of the Menorah, so God showed him a picture of it in fire. If the menorah\u2019s design reflects a plant that is endemic to Israel, then Moses would have never seen one, and found its design incomprehensible.<\/span><\/p>\n

After reading of Reuveni\u2019s discovery I am also no longer perplexed by the Menorah\u2019s design, but I am searching for a pressed salvia palaestina to display as my \u201cHanukkah bush\u201d right next to my menorah.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cover photo by Prof Avinoam Denin:<\/span> http:\/\/flora.org.il\/en\/books\/plant-stories-2\/chapter-n\/useful_plants_n1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":42543,"id":42543,"title":"50511-268x400","filename":"50511-268x400.jpeg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-real-chanukah-bush\/50511-268x400\/","alt":"","author":"50634","description":"","caption":"","name":"50511-268x400","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":42542,"date":"2018-10-21 18:08:15","modified":"2022-05-18 19:41:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":268,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400-201x300.jpeg","medium-width":201,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","medium_large-width":268,"medium_large-height":400,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","large-width":268,"large-height":400,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","1536x1536-width":268,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","2048x2048-width":268,"2048x2048-height":400,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","post_full_size-width":268,"post_full_size-height":400,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","home_baner-width":268,"home_baner-height":400}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"A Real Hanukkah Bush!","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Salvia palaestina - the Menorah plant - in Jewish art, worship and history","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":42543,"id":42543,"title":"50511-268x400","filename":"50511-268x400.jpeg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-real-chanukah-bush\/50511-268x400\/","alt":"","author":"50634","description":"","caption":"","name":"50511-268x400","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":42542,"date":"2018-10-21 18:08:15","modified":"2022-05-18 19:41:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":268,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400-201x300.jpeg","medium-width":201,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","medium_large-width":268,"medium_large-height":400,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","large-width":268,"large-height":400,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","1536x1536-width":268,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","2048x2048-width":268,"2048x2048-height":400,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","post_full_size-width":268,"post_full_size-height":400,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/50511-268x400.jpeg","home_baner-width":268,"home_baner-height":400}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":"Cover photo by Prof Avinoam Denin: http:\/\/flora.org.il\/en\/books\/plant-stories-2\/chapter-n\/useful_plants_n1\/"},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"old_create_date":"","links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42542"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119060,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42542\/revisions\/119060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}