Ner tamid
The Ner Tamid ( Hebrew נֵר תָּמִיד) is an Eternal Light burning in synagogues in front of the Aron ha-Qodesh .
It is usually in a container that is suspended from the ceiling. In earlier times the ner tamid consisted of a wick fed with olive oil , and it was considered a meritorious act ( mitzvah ) to make donations for the maintenance of the Eternal Light. Today the Ner Tamid consists of an electric light bulb . The container and associated chains are often made of precious metal.
The establishment of the Ner Tamid in the synagogue is a symbolic reminder of the menorah that burned constantly in the Jerusalem temple (see Exodus 27:20 and Leviticus 24, 2), since the synagogue is viewed as the spiritual equivalent of the temple (“a small sanctuary “ Megilla 29a ). The Ner Tamid was originally located in a niche on the west wall of the synagogue to commemorate the location of the menorah in the temple. It was later placed in front of the holy ark. In many Eastern European wooden synagogues, the Ner Tamid was placed in a vaulted stone niche, as there was a constant risk of fire breaking out. The ner tamid is interpreted in the Talmud as a symbol of the presence of God in the people of Israel ( Shabbat 22b ) or as the spiritual light that radiated from the temple.
Flavius Josephus quotes a description by Hekataios of Abdera , according to which only an altar and a candlestick were erected inside the temple of Serubbabel , both of gold and two talents heavy. And further:
- "... on these there is a light that is never extinguished, not by day and not by night."
See also
literature
- Encyclopaedia Judaica , Volume 12, p. 965.
- Louis Loeb-Larocque: Ewig-Licht-Ampel (Jewish) , in: Reallexikon zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte , Vol. 6, 1970, Col. 639–648
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Flavius Josephus, Contra Apionem I, 22