Re: Have Yourself a Merry Saturnalia....

On 19 Dec, Douglas Koller wrote:

>From: "Dan Sulani"
>
>> There may not have been an error. What exactly was being labelled?
>> "Chanukiah",  in Hebrew,  refers to the candelabra where the items to be
>lit
>> (candles in some traditions, containers of oil in others) are placed.
>
>Thus a synonym of "menorah"? Or is there a dif?
     In the US, AFAIK,  "menorah"  tends to be used for both
the 7-branched candelabra which stood in the Temple
in Jerusalem and for the candelabra used for lighting the Chanukah lights.
    Here in Israel, in Hebrew,  there _is_ a difference. "Menorah",
literally means "that which gives off light". According to my dictionary,
it is related to the Aramaic "nur" and the Akkadian "nuru", meaning
"fire".  In modern Hebrew usage, "menorah" can mean anything
from the 7-branched menorah to a lamp on the table to the light fixture
 hanging on a wall or ceiling. (Although a fluorescent light, while also
 a "menorah", tends to be called /floresant/ in common speech.)
The word also refers to the ancient lighting implements,
ie a bowl of oil with a wick in it.
    The Chanukah candelabra, while technically also a "menorah", is usually
referred to, in Hebrew, as a "Chanukiah" in order to single it out from all
those
other menorahs, and to stress its connection with the holiday.

Dan Sulani
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likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a.

A word is an awesome thing.