Latkes, presents, dreidels, jelly doughnuts. But what would Chanukah be without the menorah? A lot has to do with history, symbolism and a miracle.

Back in the days when the Israelites were wanderers in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land, God commanded Bezalel to design a candelabrum or lampstand (Exodus 25: 31) to be placed in the Tabernacle (the Israelites’ portable sanctuary) to serve as a visible symbol of God’s presence.