Glossary
The entries selection comes from the book “Dictionary of Judaica” (2005), which was written by a group of authors led by Eva Kosáková . Entries were further processed by Jaroslav Kuntoš, Dana Veselská, Olga Sixtová, Michaela Scheibová and Lenka Uličná. The book can be purchased at our e-shop.
Eternal light (Heb. ner tamid)
A light that hangs in front of the Torah Ark*, its flame a reminder of the original Temple menorah. Usually, it takes the form of a flattened vase hanging on three chains that are attached to protruding handles. The upper part contains a glass case with an oil burner. Its most frequent material is silver-plated base metal, although more ornate lights are made of silver. It is identical in shape to the eternal light used in the Christian liturgy; without an inscription or specific ornamentation, it can be very difficult to determine whether it is related to Jewish culture.
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