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I used to own and operate a floristry and now only put together arrangements as a hobby & to give as personal gifts. I would like to create a floral centerpiece gift that will incorporate a rustic, unstructured menorah into the design, using 8 + 1 small jars for votives. I went online to see if there were any ideas close to what I'm envisioning. Not really, but there were quite a few pics of what I would consider non-traditional menorah set-ups.
My question is this: is it acceptable for me to make this if I'm not Jewish? Does kosher extend to something like this? I searched several websites on the Jewish faith with no luck. I have the know-how to use flowers and succulents that will last a full two weeks with minimal water upkeep, and I have all the mechanics & such to put together what I think would be a beautiful design. I'm just not sure if that would be perceived as tacky or insulting were the recipients to receive it from a non-Jewish person.
I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks very much.
Lots of people have more than one menorah in the house. I have one with electric candles just for window display, and also one that has real wax, flame-burning candles for the nightly blessing during Chanukah.
Lots of people also make their own menorahs, and some synagogues have menorah-making contests for their young Hebrew school kids. In my own shul the most popular type of home-made menorah with the kids is often made from Pez candy dispensers. It's fun to see how creative the kids can get.
I can only speak for myself, but I would be very touched if a non-Jewish friend went to the effort of making a Chanukah menorah for me, and I would acknowledge the kind intention behind the gift.
However, I would not use a Chanukah menorah as a floral centerpiece for my dining room table (as I think you were suggesting for your craft), as a dinner table decoration is not the purpose of a Chanukah menorah. In fact, you might want to skip the floral embellishments entirely. (Again, this is just my own opinion.)
Thank you, Rachel - your advice is perfect! I hadn't considered its purpose with regard to the flowers. I very much appreciate you taking the time to reply.
Thank you, Rachel - your advice is perfect! I hadn't considered its purpose with regard to the flowers. I very much appreciate you taking the time to reply.
You're welcome. Stick around, because there are others here who may have views of their own on the subject. We also have a rabbi who is a member of our forum.
You sound like a very creative (and kind!) individual.
To paraphrase an old ad, "You don't have to be Jewish to make a menorah."
Your suggestion of an organic menorah is lovely, although I agree with Rachel that I wouldn't use this as a centerpiece for a dining room table. You might find some information about these here:
I'm not big into flowers (no offense) but you can make a floral arrangement into whatever shape you want and if someone likes it, s/he can place it somewhere in the house. There is no rule saying that one cannot make flowers in the shape of a menorah for decorative purposes. What I have seen online is mostly flowers decorating regular menorahs (oil or wax, and even electric, though the mitzvah of kindling is not fulfilled through electric according to most authorities.
Thanks for your feedback, Lillie767 and rosends. Also for the links everyone is sharing. I don't work with faux flowers (or "permanents" as this seems to be the latest trendy term), but there is always inspiration to be found from others' works.
One of the more popular designs I did year after year for Christmas centerpieces was called a long and low rustic with candles. A wooden box or tray is the base, with greens, roses, etc., and candles. (No one had ever requested one for Chanukah; tho I did do flower arrangements for Passover, and added flowers to a wedding Chuppah.)
My initial thought was to tweak the wood tray theme for Chanukah, and use small votive jars slightly elevated so they didn't get overwhelmed by the florals (white roses, blue thistle, iris, star flower etc + succulents common to middle eastern climates)....but now after reading your comments, I'm rethinking the project and will probably leave the candles out entirely and pivot to a more modern crystal or mirrored vessel instead of wood.
I'm so glad I asked & that you are all so helpful with your input - thanks so much!!
Glad we all could help. It takes a (Jewish) village.
@Lillie: Those floral menorahs are lovely! I am now rethinking my previous view on menorahs and flowers. (Although I might still worry about a fire hazard there.)
Glad we all could help. It takes a (Jewish) village.
Lillie, those floral menorahs are lovely! I am now rethinking my previous view on menorahs and flowers. Bridgerider, Rosends is our resident Rabbi.
Thank you, this is good to know! I found out fairly recently that I may be one quarter Jew, which thrills me, so I plan to find out what I can thru ancestry/genealogy searches. My father was raised in an orphanage from about age 7 on. His father had to go off to war and his mother couldn't afford to care for 7 kids by herself. His mother came from Germany and spoke a lot of Yiddish once she came to America, because she had to hide it while in Germany. I was blown away by that news as I had always thought I was Irish through & through. We still don't have all the details on his parents, so we are making assumptions.
Anyway! Thanks again to all of you for this wonderful background and insight on menorahs!!
Thank you, this is good to know! I found out fairly recently that I may be one quarter Jew, which thrills me, so I plan to find out what I can thru ancestry/genealogy searches. My father was raised in an orphanage from about age 7 on. His father had to go off to war and his mother couldn't afford to care for 7 kids by herself. His mother came from Germany and spoke a lot of Yiddish once she came to America, because she had to hide it while in Germany. I was blown away by that news as I had always thought I was Irish through & through. We still don't have all the details on his parents, so we are making assumptions.
Anyway! Thanks again to all of you for this wonderful background and insight on menorahs!!
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