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Hanukah Menorah
by Gail Stafford

The menorah is lit on the Jewish holiday of Hanukah to commemorate the victory of the Jewish people. (Hanukah has a variety of spellings as it is interpreted from the Hebrew word.) Led by Judah Maccabee, the Jewish people fought for freedom to worship God and not be forced to perform idol worship, the religion of Antiochus. The menorah holds nine candles, eight of which represent the eight days of Hanukah. The ninth candle is called the shammash, or servant candle, and is used to light the other candles. When the Jewish people lit a lamp to burn in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following their fight for freedom to worship God, they only had enough oil to burn for one day. However, by some miracle, the oil burned for eight days and nights. On the first night of Hanukah, the shammash and one candle are lit. On the second night, the shammash and two candles are lit. This pattern continues for eight nights. The needlework shows the menorah lit for celebration of the last night of Hanukah.

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