שמות, פרק כ״ה, פסוק ל״ד

Crafting the Menorah required immense artistic precision. After the intricate design of the side branches is established, the focus shifts to the central shaft, the very spine of the structure. This main body of the Menorah was to be adorned with a unique system of decorations consisting of cups, knobs, and flowers, all hammered from a single, solid piece of pure gold [רש״י, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ, קאסוטו]. The shaft featured four protruding, goblet-like cups [אברבנאל]. The primary approach among commentators is that these four cups were not spaced evenly along the stem. Instead, one cup was positioned at the lower end, just below the point where the six side branches extended outward, while the remaining three cups were clustered near the top, above the branching point [רש״י, רלב״ג, ביאור יש״ר, אברבנאל]. Alongside these cups, the central shaft was decorated with round, apple-like knobs and beautifully crafted floral designs [אברבנאל].

These elegant decorations were styled to resemble almonds, a design choice that some also associate with themes of diligence and swiftness [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, the exact application of this almond motif forms the center of a famous interpretive discussion. In classical tradition, the instruction detailing this design is recognized as one of only five places in the Torah containing an inherent grammatical ambiguity [רש״י, תורה תמימה, משכיל לדוד, נתינה לגר]. It is unclear whether the almond-shaped description points backward, meaning only the four cups were shaped like almonds, or if it points forward, indicating that the knobs and flowers bore this specific design [רש״י, תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם].

Many scholars suggest that the traditional cantillation marks, which guide the reading of the Torah, resolve this doubt. A pause mark placed on the cups separates them from the almond description, leading to the conclusion that the knobs and flowers were the ones shaped like almonds [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו, ברכת אשר]. This is further supported by the phrasing of the text, which closely links the design description to the knobs [מלבי״ם]. In contrast, others maintain that the almond styling was meant exclusively for the cups [אבן עזרא]. Some scholars argue that the musical notes do not fully settle the matter, as a pause mark also rests on the description of the almond shape itself, leaving its exact direction uncertain [משכיל לדוד]. Furthermore, since the cups on the side branches were explicitly described as almond-shaped, it is difficult to assume the central cups would lack this feature [ביאור יש״ר]. To reconcile this complexity, Maimonides concludes that every single element—the cups, the knobs, and the flowers—was crafted in the shape of almonds [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because of this enduring layered meaning, there is a practical custom during the public reading of the Torah to read the entire sequence in one continuous breath, elegantly embracing all possible interpretations of the Menorah's design [ברכת אשר].