Objects

Hanukkah lamp (hanukkiya)

Hanukkah is the eight-day Festival of Lights, commemorating the victory of Judah Maccabee's insurgents over the Syrian army in 165 BCE. After the Jerusalem Temple had been cleansed of pagan worship and the altar had been rededicated, only one vessel containing the ritual oil used to light the tabernacle was found. Thanks to the miracle of the cruse of oil, as tradition tells, the oil lasted for eight days, until a new batch could be produced. During Hanukkah, one more candle is lit each day in an eight-branched candelabrum called a hanukkiah, which is placed in the windows or in front of the doors of Jewish homes. The candles are lit by the eldest male in the family. During the holiday, one should not work or even study Torah. Fasting is also forbidden (A. Unterman, Żydzi. Wiara i życie, Lodz 1989, pp. 223-225).

The Hanukkah lamp from the collection of the Przypkowski Museum in Jędrzejów is

supported by four legs. The base is surrounded by a balcony and has eight small oil burners. The backplate is openwork. In the centre there is a menorah supported by two lions and topped with a crown. The side walls are openwork, equipped with arms for candle sleeves to hold candles.

Hanukkah lamps equipped with additional candle sleeves also served as Shabbat candlesticks that are lit on the Shabbat that falls during the holiday of Hanukkah. They are referred to as the "Polish type" of Hanukkah lamps.

The hanukkiya was acquired for the collection of the Jędrzejów Museum from Piotr Maciej Przypkowski.

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Information about the object
Author / creator
unknown
Object type
handicrafts
lighting
Time of creation / dating
2nd half of the 19th century
Place of creation
Poland (Europe)
Technique
cast
Material
brass
Keywords
Copyright status
the object is not protected by copyright law
Owner
Przypkowscy Museum in Jędrzejów
Identification number
MPJ/SH/4532