MUGI – My Unique Gift Idea

In Judaism the Menorah is a very important symbol. The Tabernacle in the Desert as well as the Holy Temple had in it a large golden, seven-branched candelabrum. It represented the Burning Bush which Moses saw.

During the holiday of Hanukkah, every Jewish home has a special Menorah with nine branches. Eight of the branches represent each day of the Miracle of the olive oil, which took place in the Temple at the time of the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd century BCE; and the ninth branch is called the Shamash, and is used to light the others.

Aside from the historical significance of this tradition there is a spiritual significance which is handed down to us in the form of many ancient Kabbalistic secrets that most people do not know.

Here is one of the spiritual secrets of the Menorah:

When you look closely at one of the burning candles, you will see that the flame has two colors. There is a bright radiance on the top and underneath there is a darker radiance. Each color of the flame represents a part of the soul. The brighter part is our enthusiasm in serving the Divine out of love. This part of the flame, you will notice, constantly dances higher and higher, as if reaching for a higher spiritual level. The purer the oil used, the brighter the top of the flame. The bottom part, which is the darker part of the flame, represents the love of the Divine Spirit, which exists naturally in our hearts and our brains, but is often a struggle to make manifest. This is why the flame, on the bottom is darker, but as it touches the higher flame which dances towards greater spiritual levels, it becomes brighter and brighter.