He made the menorah of pure gold. He made the menorah – its base and its shaft – of hammered work; its cups, calyxes, and petals were of one piece with it. Shemot (Exodus) 37:17

וַ ּיַ עַ ׂש אֶ ת־הַ ּמְ נֹרָ ה זָהָ ב טָ הֹור מִ קְ ׁשָ ה עָ ׂשָ ה אֶ ת־הַ ּמְ נֹרָ ה יְרֵ כָ ּה וְ קָ נָּה ּגְ בִ יעֶ יהָ ּכַ פְ ּתֹרֶ יהָ ּופְ רָ חֶ יהָ מִ ּמֶ ּנָה הָ יּו׃

va-YA-as et ha-m’-no-RAH za-HAV ta-HOR mik-SHAH a-SAH et ha-m’-no-RAH y’-rayKHAH v’-ka-NAH g’-vee-E-ha kaf-to-RE-ha uf-ra-KHE-ha mi-ME-nah ha-YU

The menorah, made of “pure gold,” was lit with pure olive oil and gave off a radiant light. The light of the menorah is symbolic of the Jewish Nation’s duty to spread the light of Torah and God’s will. The pure gold and olive oil are reflective of the pure intentions necessary to influence the nations of the world for the sake of Heaven. Today, the menorah is the official symbol of the State of Israel, which represents the eternity of the Jewish People. The bronze menorah, located across from the Knesset, Israel’s parliament in Yerushalayim, was modeled after the menorah of the Beit Hamikdash. The six side branches are engraved with depictions of events from the Bible, as well as the Jews in exile. The center branch of this impressive menorah tells the story of the return to Eretz Yisrael, up until the establishment of the State of Israel. Now that the Jewish people have returned home, they can again work together to spread light to the rest of the world.