The Edelstein Hanukkia

November 2004 Sterling silver  The Edelstein Hanukkia is more than just a ritual object designed to fulfill the mitzvah of observing Hanukkah. The wall-hanging, oil-burning hanukkia was designed over a period of five years as an artistic remembrance of the events of the Hanukkah story as well as a celebration of the miracle itself. Borrowing from both traditional Sephardic art and contemporary design, every detail of the solid sterling silver hanukkia is filled with meaning. The back plate, or shield, shows an eight-branched olive tree which recalls both the Tree of Life and the olives needed to make fresh oil for the Temple's menorah in the Hanukkah story. As each branch passes through the diagonal of the shield, it becomes part of a stylized rendering of traditional Moroccan patterns. Each side of the shield is two tophachim (טפח) long, a measurement found in Ezekiel 40:5 and 43:13 (usually translated as “handbreadth”) that has been calculated by the rabbis to equal approximately 2.9