Not being one to repeat the same arts and crafts projects
again, I tried to think of a Chanuka menora that I
hadn't done before with children. This led me back to the
basics, right back to the same type of clay pottery lamps
used by our ancient forefathers.
The simplest and oldest of lamps that are known is a
primitive forerunner of the developed pottery lamp. It is a
simple scooped out stone with a hole at one end to hold a
wick. This is very basic and interesting information. A stone
or clay cup can hold oil and a wick and produce a very
beautiful flame.
Clay, the easier of the two earthy materials to work with,
can be shaped in endless ways, as seen from the variety of
ancient examples found in Eretz Yisroel.
Clay oil lamps were household staples like light bulbs are
for us today. Some lamps held four wicks. The ones designed
for Chanuka menoras have cups or spaces for eight
wicks plus the shammash.
Thinking about this more, I wondered why clay Chanukiyos are
rarely seen [nor, for that matter, the "little
dreidel, I made it out of clay..."] when children
bring their Chanukiyos home from school. Nothing could be
simpler or more satisfying to make. I did see one such oil
lamp in a class where we were doing clay bowls. A young boy
who came with his mother showed us how he learned to make a
clay oil lamp for Chanuka. I was impressed and after a bit of
experimenting, came up with several designs.
The simplicity of the clay Chanukiya is matched by the low
cost. A `log' of real earth ceramic clay (not to be confused
with synthetic clays which are expensive), costs about 13
shekels (about $3) and can make four to seven Chanukiyos.
Considering the price of ready-made Chanukiyos or kits, this
was very reasonable. Another plus is that it can be thrown
away if desired, after final use, rather than cleaned up from
the oil or wax.
Remaking one each year is not only enjoyable but therapeutic,
since clay releases tensions. The clay seems to absorb away
our tensions through our hands, arms and shoulders. While our
hands are in the clay, we can imagine life in the times of
the Mishna, and have a reprieve from modern day stresses and
electronics and plastics.
In many households, it is customary for each member of the
family to use his or her own lamp to kindle lights on the
eight days of Chanuka, to give thanks and praise unto our
Creator for the miracles He performed for us. A personal lamp
is especially meaningful to little children who make it with
their own hands and light it with their own hands. Placing
the cotton wicks into the clay cups, each with its own supply
of olive oil, is a real joy for any child or adult, as they
watch the clear and clean flame of the menora go
up.
The wicks will light even when the clay is wet, and produce a
bright strong flame. You can form the little clay bowls and
immediately fill and light them on each night if you like,
rather than preparing a complete set at once. The
menora can be baked in a ceramic kiln, but this is
certainly not necessary. If baked, it will last a long time.
If not, it has a short lifespan which saves clean-up time
since it is discarded after Chanuka. Indeed, the Mishna
Brura states that one should only use a clean menora.
The exciting part is that the flame lights just as well while
the clay is still wet as it does when dry. This means that a
child can make a cup in time before lighting and light it
immediately while the clay is still wet. A proper use of
instant gratification!
You can make eight or nine clay cups that are lightly pinched
and pointed to one side to hold the wick. Line these up in a
straight line and you have a Chanuka menora. Or you
can build a thick base that has scooped out holes and troughs
for the oil and wicks. Or make a set of cups and set them in
place on the thick base. You can attach a decorative back to
the base, if desired.
DIRECTIONS
Cups:
Make 8 or 9 cups from clay balls. Each cup is about 3-4 cm. x
3-4 cm. high. Make a ball about the size of a ping pong ball.
Roll until smooth and round. Press a finger in center to make
a hole that will hold one teaspoon of olive oil. Squeeze out
a thick small bowl by pressing your thumb and index (first)
finger gently around the walls of the cup. Be careful to keep
the walls very thick so they will not crack off when dry.
Pinch a crease slightly to hold up the wick at one end.
Base:
Make a base from a slab of clay that is 22-25 cm. long and 2
1/2 to 3 cm. thick. It should be long enough to hold eight
cups. It can be shorter if you scoop out holes with troughs.
Smooth with a bit of water if dry and trim with a plastic
knife.
Place the base on a solid thick tray, heavy cardboard or
styrofoam to keep stable and prevent breakage. Do not remove
this reinforcement.
Back:
Backs are options. A back can be added to the base. It should
be at least two cm. thick and six cm. high. Decorations can
be engraved (drawn into the clay) or in relief (added on).
A menora, an olive branch with leaves and olives, a pair of
birds or a Magen Dovid are well-known ancient Jewish designs
that we can choose from.
Joining:
Joining the cups to the base or the base to the back requires
a technique called `scoring.' Scoring is a ceramics term for
preparing the surfaces to be joined. Make deep crosshatched
lines on both surfaces to be joined and then wet the surfaces
and apply a dab of very sticky gooey clay before joining the
surfaces.
Press firmly in place and reinforce the outside edges by
pushing the clay up and down until there is no clear line
between the cup and the base or the base and the back.
Sections that are not seemlessly joined together on all sides
including what we don't see have a chance of coming apart.
Test each joined part for resistance.
Lighting:
Place cotton or other type of cloth wicks and one teaspoon of
olive oil in the cup or trough. Make sure the wick is well
saturated with the oil and the top of the wick is upright.
One teaspoon of oil will burn for about half an hour.
The children and the adults will have a memorable Chanuka,
crafting and lighting a Chanuka menora that gives a bright
golden flame along with its timeless message.
