Zerubavel and the Menorah

Yesterday we discussed the haftara for Shabbat Chanukah, a prophecy from the book of Zekharya (2:14 – 4:7). Recall that Zekharya prophesied at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth, and this prophecy is conveyed as the Jews who had returned to Eretz Yisrael, under the political leadership of Zerubavel, resume the project of rebuilding the Temple. The final and perhaps most famous section of this haftara describes the prophet's vision of a menorah: "I see a menorah all of gold, with a bowl above it. The lamps on it are seven in number, and the lamps above it have seven pipes, and by it are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left" (4:2-3). The prophet here describes a menorah alongside two olive trees, which produce the oil in the bowl above the menorah, and the oil is carried through pipes to the seven lamps. Three verses later, we learn the underlying message behind this vision: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubavel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit – said the Lord of Hosts. Whoever you are, O great mountain in the path of Zerubavel, turn into level ground… " (4:6-7).

The obvious question arises, what connection is there between the vision and the message it seeks to convey? How does the image of the menorah show Zerubavel that he will succeed "not by might, nor by power," but rather with the divine spirit?

Rashi explains this prophecy to mean that just as the oil supply feeding the light of the menorah will eventually be depleted, so do Zerubavel and his people lack the strength, resources and wherewithal to complete this project independently. They do not have the "might" or "power" to build the Temple on their own. Therefore, God will provide for them His "spirit," meaning, He will put in the heart of the Persian king the desire to assist the Jews by supplying them with materials – as recorded in Sefer Ezra (chapters 6-8). In other words, responding to Zerubavel's frustration at the many challenges confronting his efforts to rebuild the Temple and Jewish homeland, the prophet confirms that indeed, Zerubavel is independently powerless to succeed in his formidable mission. But it is not his strength or power that will bring success, but rather the divine spirit God will infuse within the Persian government.

The Radak explains that this prophecy builds off the absence of any human effort in fashioning the menorah. The menorah simply appeared readymade in Zekharya's vision, as if it never required assembly. Similarly, the divine spirit is so indispensable to Zerubavel's project that in a certain sense the Temple, like the menorah, is built by itself, without any human effort.

A particularly fascinating approach to this prophecy is taken by Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch, in his essay on the symbolism of the menorah ("Collected Writings of Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch," vol. 3, pp.223-224). According to Rav Hirsch, when Zekharya speaks of "My spirit," he refers to the description of "the spirit of the Lord" in a much earlier prophecy, of Yeshayahu: "A shoot shall grow out of the stump of Yishai… The spirit of the Lord shall alight upon him: A spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and valor, a spirit of knowledge and reverence for the Lord" (Yeshayahu 11:1-2). What Yeshayahu describes, Rav Hirsch writes, is, in fact, a menorah. The base of the menorah is the "stump of Yishai" – the Davidic line, from which a "sprout" – a leader - will grow. This "sprout," the spine of the menorah, will be endowed with "the spirit of the Lord," which divides into six categories: wisdom and insight, counsel and valor, knowledge and reverence. These six categories form the six arms of the menorah that extend from the "sprout," the leader, which, as stated, emerges from the menorah's base and fthe center rod. Rav Hirsch observes that Yeshayahu doesn't simply list the six qualities comprising this divine spirit, but arranges them into three groups of two. He suggests that the two members of each group belong on different sides of the menorah. For example, in the first group – "wisdom and insight," "wisdom" occupies the far right-hand arm of the menorah, whereas "insight" forms the far left-hand arm. And so on. It thus emerges that "wisdom," "counsel" and "knowledge" form the right side of the menorah, whereas "insight," "valor" and "reverence" form the right side. The right side of the menorah would then symbolize practical knowledge and know-how, while the left side represents the principles and ideals underlying this knowledge, the dichotomy Rav Hirsch describes as "theory and practice, perception and accomplishment."

For good reason, then, the vision of the menorah informs Zerubavel that he will succeed only with the "menorah" of the divine spirit, which consists of these six branches – the combination between firm religious principles and ideals on the one hand, and the practical sense to implement them, on the other.