{"id":79241,"date":"2020-08-25T16:08:37","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T13:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=79241"},"modified":"2020-08-25T16:10:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-25T13:10:05","slug":"the-menorah-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-menorah-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"The Menorah Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At <\/span>the end of our comments to chapter 2<\/span><\/a>, we noted that the haftarah of Shabbat Hanukkah is drawn from the visions of Zechariah. In this chapter, the connection is explicit in his vision of a menorah described as follows: \u201cA lampstand all of gold, with a bowl above it. The lamps on it are seven in number, and the lamps above it have seven pipes. And by it are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left\u201d (2-3).<\/span><\/p>\n

Zechariah asked his interlocutor: \u201cWhat do these things mean, my lord?\u201d (4) The angel replied: \u201cSurely you know what they mean?\u201d (5), implying that Zechariah had enough information to figure it out for himself. Indeed, if we look back at the close of Chapter 3, we find that he had already seen a vision of \u201ca single stone with seven eyes\u201d (9), and had already been told that it symbolized God\u2019s intention to \u201cremove that country\u2019s [Judah] guilt on a single day,\u201d on which they would all be able to reside peacefully \u201cunder vine and fig tree\u201d (10).<\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently, Zechariah was expected to link the seven eyes to the seven branches of the Menorah; when he did not, the angel resumed his explanation arriving eventually, at this identification: \u201cThose seven are the eyes of the Lord, ranging over the whole earth\u201d (10). God\u2019s eyes are an established metaphor for His providence (see Deut. 11:12) and seven is a typological (symbolic) number representing the natural order.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two olive trees also stumped Zechariah and, again, the angel had to provide their interpretation: \u201cThey are the two anointed dignitaries who attend the Lord of all the earth\u201d (14). The Sages understood this to signify the two leaders of the Jewish nation whose appointments were accompanied by anointing with olive oil: the king and the high priest\u2014in our context, Zerubbabel and Joshua. Hence: \u201cThen [the angel] explained to me as follows: \u201cThis is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit\u2014said the LORD of Hosts. Whoever you are, O great mountain in the path of Zerubbabel, turn into level ground! For he shall produce that excellent stone; it shall be greeted with shouts of \u2018Beautiful! Beautiful!\u2019\u201d(6-7)<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":79243,"id":79243,"title":"zech4-menorah","filename":"zech4-menorah.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/zech4-menorah.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-menorah-vision\/zech4-menorah\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"zech4-menorah","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":79241,"date":"2020-08-25 13:09:53","modified":"2020-08-25 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