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One of the most beloved symbols of Jewish life is the menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum.ÌýÌýThe original menorah, made of pure gold, resided in the holy Temple in Jerusalem.ÌýÌýA huge bronze replica menorah stands opposite the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, a gift from the British parliament in 1956.ÌýÌýMore familiar is the nine-branched version that Jews all over the world light during the winter Chanukah festival.

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One of the curiosities of the menorah is that it was lit in a closed room inside the Temple, where hardly anyone went.ÌýÌýIt burned brightly, but there was no-one there to see it.ÌýÌýIt’s a bit like switching all the lights on and leaving the house or going to bed, something I recall my father complaining that I used to do when I was a child.ÌýÌýThe menorah is less a light-fitting, more a symbol of something – I think knowledge and, perhaps, personal enlightenment.

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A hint to this appears in the section of the Bible describing the menorah, read in every synagogue this week.ÌýÌýRather than simply lighting the lamps of the menorah, the Bible insists that the person responsible should ‘bring them up’ in some way.ÌýÌýA Jewish teaching explains that this means that the lighter should not just pass the match over the wick but hold it until the flame rises on its own.ÌýÌýThis might seem like a trivial detail, but I believe it teaches something simple yet powerful.

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Knowledge and enlightenment are only valuable if they are shared with others.ÌýÌýYet the task of communication isn’t complete until the recipients are equipped to transmit them to others.ÌýÌýThe lighter’s job is only finished when the flame can burn independently, which means that it can ignite many more flames.ÌýÌýThe best thoughts, those that change us and our world for the good, deserve to be shared and spread as widely as possible.ÌýÌýIt’s an amazing idea, one that has had a profound effect on how I teach my students and mentor younger colleagues.

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I believe that when we share important knowledge and values, when we have the privilege of teaching or influencing people, conveying the ideas is not the whole story.ÌýÌýThe real goal is igniting passion in our children,Ìýgrandchildren, students, work colleagues, even people we get chatting to on the bus, so they will pass on those life-changing ideas to others.

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