The Miracle of the #Menorah, by Rabbi Asher Resnick:
Rav Hirsch (in his commentary on the Torah โ Parshas Terumah) explains that the menorah, the vehicle for the miracle of #Chanukah, beautifully expressed this #Torah perspective. To appreciate his words, we first need to understand the symbolism of the numbers six, seven, and eight:
a. Six (as in the first six days of creation) expresses the idea of physicality exclusively for the sake of the physical โ i.e., as an end in itself.
b. Seven (as in Shabbat โ the seventh day of the week) โ expresses the concept of physical for the sake of that which is beyond the physical โ i.e., as a means to connect to G-d and the spiritual realm.
c. Eight (as in circumcision โ ideally done on the eighth day) โ expresses the notion of the spiritual realm and reality โ i.e., entirely beyond the physical.
Rav Hirsch wrote that the menorah had seven branches arranged in a configuration of six plus one (i.e., one single central branch โ like the trunk of a tree, with three branches extending outward on either side). The six outer lights all had their wicks pointing inward towards the seventh one โ which itself pointed towards the Kodesh Kodashim (holy of holies) in the Temple. This expressed the #Jewish concept of the number seven โ the physical for the sake of that which is beyond the physical. ... See more