Sunday 30 August 2015

chanuka - What was the volume of oil for one day's lighting of the Menorah?


Large jars for storing oil or wine were common in Judah. For 100’s of years, oil and wine were the commodities that were used to pay tribute and taxes. Many storage jars were standardized and may have held 40-50 liters of product. I am curious if the single cruse of oil was of this character.


storage jars from Ramat Rachel

Storage Jars From Ramat Rachel


In The Talmud Shabbos 21b it says: ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של שמן שהיה מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול ולא היה בו אלא להדליק יום אחד


And only one cruse of oil was found which lay with the seal of the High Priest and there was only enough for one day’s lighting.


How much oil did the jug contain for one day's lighting?



The artifact, a clay seal the size of a button, is inscribed with the Aramaic words meaning “Pure for G-d.”
Photo Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority



Answer



They used a half of a lug of oil in each candle every night, in order that it would last through the longest night of the year (Menachos 88b). A lug is 6 egg volumes. An egg volume is disputed, but it's accepted to be either around 57 (R' Chaim Naeh) or 100 (Chazon Ish) mL.


So the volume per candle was about 172 or 294 mL, or about 1200 or 2050 mL total.



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