The institution of the perpetual light descended from the Temple (comp. Ex 27:20 Lev 24:2) to the Synagogue as the "lesser Temple" ("miḳdash me'aṭ" Meg. The perpetual light in the Temple, which is mentioned by classical writers (pseudo-Hecatæus, in Josephus, "Contra Ap." i. 1), is usually referred to in the Talmud as the "western light" ("ner ha-ma'arabi"), it being the lamp upon the central shaft of the candlestick. The general tradition is that this lamp was never allowed to go out, while the other six lamps burned only during the night (Tamid vi. 10-18) according to Josephus, "Ant." iii. 8, § 3, three lights burned day and night in the Temple and, again, Tamid iii. 9 would imply a tradition of two lights burning perpetually. The lighting of the perpetual lamp and the placing of the scrolls of the Law in the Ark are the principal ceremonies in the dedication of a synagogue. 1Ībsent the Temple and the menorah we are unable to literally fulfill this commandment today.I'm not Jewish, but I've always been incredibly fond of Hanukkah and have wished I could join in on a friend's traditions more times than I can count. So what would be better than a collection of Hanukkah poems to help celebrate the festival of lights? I've always imagined that lighting the menorah each night would be accompanied by some kind of reading (and blessings are typically said out loud, shared ) - kind of like how I always read the story of Jesus's birth to my own daughter on Christmas Eve. noted that Hanukkah is widely believed to be about celebrating the miracle of having enough oil to keep the menorah’s lights burning for eight days at a time when there was only enough oil for one night. It's a symbol of hope, of believing, and of miracles.
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