I'm not Jewish, but as an artist, I would like to make a menorah as a gift for a Jewish friend - is that ok?

Question

Should I stick to any guidelines (besides than 8 candle holders with a 9th slightly higher than the others). I want to show my apprieciation for her sharing the concepts of her faith with me - obviously the last thing I would want to do is commit some grave mistake!

For example - can I sculpt a tree and make it into a menorah? Are there "subjects" or 'things' that the menorah should never look like?

Do the 8 candles need to be exactly even in height?

If it matters, they do not keep Kosher, but are Israeli.

Thanks for helping me!!

Answer 1

Hey, that sounds like a great idea and I think your friend will really appreciate it! As a matter of fact, people make menoras out of all different kinds of things, and so it's not a problem at all how you make it! The 8 candles do not have to be exactly even, but they should appear to be on the same level to an extent and the 9th should be higher as you know. I really think that a menora made out by you personally, will be a gift really appreciated! Good luck! :)

Answer 2

That would be a nice idea. But a menorah has 7 candle holders, a hannukiah is the one with 9, for hannuka.

One candle has to be separated from the rest, by height, position, whatever. The rest, are supposed to all be the same height, although I have seem some that have them on diff. heights…so I'm not entirely sure (those ones may not have been legit.) The main idea is that the candle holder for the shamash candle (the one you use to light the others) has to be separate from the others. It is also a good idea to keep it well ordered, since every day they have to light one more starting from the right and going to the left. If the candlestick holders are all over the place, that makes that fairly difficult.

And no, a hannukiah can be in any shape…although I wouldn't make in the shape of a person/idol…cuz that goes wayy against judaism..

BTW you'd better hurry up, because hannukah is over in a few days…

Answer 3

I would look on the internet and get an idea of the incredible varieties and themes used in created Mennorahs- there are some beautiful, interesting, creative, unique and whimsical ones. Unless we are talking about a Messianic Jew, then the only subject that would be off limits is Yeshua, (though I found an incredible Mennorah that used the name Yeshua for the candle holders) Anyway, the 'tree of life' is an important theme for the Jewish people so a Mennorah with a tree theme would be beautiful and well received.
Depending on the personality of the receiver, would be what dictated the "feel" of the Mennorah, I personally don't care for many of the whimsical (cutesy) ones to me it makes light of what the Mennorah is supposed to be for, but some have no problems with it. Except for Yeshua for a non Messianic Jew, I really dont think there are any subjects off limits- you would be amazed at the variety out there
I dont think I have ever seen one where the candles, except for the middle one were not the same height

Answer 4

Great idea and I support your efforts to embrace the Jewish Culture and show appreciation and thoughtfulness to your friend.

Let me try and answer your questions in order:

To answer the question of what is acceptable in your menorah form or not, you first need to understand what type of Jew your friend is. What I mean is, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jews all hold to different standards and the move conservative you get, the more traditional the menorah is expected to look. For a Reform or Conservative Jew, pretty much anything you make will be appreciated. But Orthodox Jews are almost a religion unto themselves so be careful to stick to traditional designs if this is the case.

A Tree? WONDERFUL idea as trees are a very large part of the Jewish culture. Are there other subjects or things a menorah should never look like? Well I think if you use any type of naturistic theme, you should be safe. I would stick with natural or metalic colors, staying away from bright reds, oranges, purples, and pinks.

No the 8 candles do not need to be the same height, though i do recommend it.

Not sure being Israeli is a factor, but you might want to research some Israeli online sites that sell menorahs and see what the prevailing art is. Also, visit your friend and see what type of menorah(s) they currently have. That'll give you an idea of what they like and would appreciate.

I have about 9 menorah's; from the traditional gold-tone menorah, to one that looks like the Solomon's Temple. I love each and every one of them.
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

There are very few subjects that are "off limits;" anything obviously anti-semitic would of course be in poor taste. As to the correct design - a Hanukkah menorah's 8 candles should all be at the same height; the 9th candle (the "shemash" or "helper" candle) should be at a higher level - there's no specific level. A traditional menorah has the shemash at the center, but it can be anywhere - I have one with the shemash at one end. I've seen menorahs in all sorts of designs - from traditional to children's toys to Disney characters to abstract. In short - use your imagination, and enjoy; I think it's a great gift.

Answer 6

Any shape is fine, but the eight candles must be even height or the menorah (more correctly called a chanukkia) cannot be used, and the shamash - the 9th candle may be higher or lower, as long as it isn't on the same height as the 8 others.

Answer 7

There's no problem with you making a menorah. It's a beautiful thing.

You can make it of any material (although anything flammable might be a bad idea)

The eight cups should be at the same height to be considered a kosher menorah. While many artist make menorahs with the cups at different heights, while they may be beautiful works of art they are not suitable for use.

The last thing to consider is the size of the cups and the spacing. Many people prefer to burn oil rather than candles, so larger, more widely spaced cups would be appropriate.

Answer 8

For a chanukia (a.k.a. menorah) to be considered Kosher, 8 of the candle holders should be the same height and in a straight line (no funky shapes in terms of the placement of the holders, just of the base, which can look however you want it to look), with the 9th (called the shamash) set apart in some way. Also, the 8 main candle-sticks (which can either be candle-holders or cups to hold oil...both are Kosher) must have equal space between them...hope this helps, and good luck making your friend a beautiful chanukia!

Answer 9

I am going to assume that you are pretty good friends with them. A hanukkah menorah (also sometimes called a hanukiyah) is something they might already have - you might want to feel them out and make sure they don't already have one that means something to them (their grandmother's, or something). If they have one, but it's not anything special, or maybe they even don't like it, then I would go ahead and make it.
All of the 8 candles should be of an even height, but the 9th, or shamash "servant" candle should be higher than the 8 days ones. I would look online at the other "artistic" menorahs for an idea of what is and what is not acceptable.
I linked to menorah websites below, hope that helps!

Answer 10

it can be any shape, as long as there are no crosses ;-) (but that's obvious.) I've seen menorahs as dogs or cats, even shoes! anything is fine and if you make it more interesting (other than the usual boring menorah), they'll love it even more.

it will mean more to them if you make them a menorah then just buying one for them. as long as it has 9 candle spots and one of them is a little bit higher up than the others, then it'll be perfect. they'll love it more knowing you spent your own time and hard work on it then just walking into a store and buying one. they'll know that you really care.