My Unique Gift Idea Shopping Blog

Last week I posted two photo teasers of Judaica gifts. Some sharp-sighted readers may have spotted these gifts in the screenshot I published a few days ago, taken from my soon-to-be-released WholeSaleIsrael.com — a stylish web site for wholesale buyers of Judaica gifts, amulets, and jewelry.

The amulet in the first photo is a Copper & Stained Glass Hanging Hamsa in Dark Slate Blue. It was hand made by the artist Laly Cohen, and this protection amulet is rich in copper, brass, and Swarovski crystals.

The Hamsa serves to protect the user from the Evil Eye both in the Jewish and in the Muslim traditions. It is also known as the Hand of Fatima or the Hand of Miriam. The word “hamsa” literally means “five”, as this talisman imitates the shape of a human hand, with its five fingers.

The beautiful candelabrum in the second photo is a Jewish Menorah. As you can see, it has 8 candleholders, plus a special auxiliary candleholder known as “Shamash”. Interestingly enough, the similarly pronounced word “Shemesh” refers to the Sun in Hebrew. This specific Menorah was made by artist Ester Shahaf and is made chiefly of pewter.

In the Jewish tradition, after the Hasmonean warriors liberated the holy Temple in Jerusalem, they couldn’t find enough pure olive oil to light the golden 7-candles Menorah that stood in the Temple. They could only find a single small tin of oil and believed it would merely last for one day. However, when the Menorah was ignited with this single tin of olive oil, it lit for 8 days straight — A heavenly miracle.

To celebrate the miracle of the oil tin, a specially designed 9-candlestick Menorah was crafted (8 candles for each day of the miracle, plus the auxiliary candle). Hanukkah is the annual holiday when Jews pay tribute to this wonderful occurrence. Usually, Hanukkah is celebrated around the same time Christians mark Christmas, at the height of winter. It’s also called the Feast of Lights.