וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ מְנֹרַ֖ת זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר מִקְשָׁ֞ה תֵּעָשֶׂ֤ה הַמְּנוֹרָה֙ יְרֵכָ֣הּ וְקָנָ֔הּ גְּבִיעֶ֛יהָ כַּפְתֹּרֶ֥יהָ וּפְרָחֶ֖יהָ מִמֶּ֥נָּה יִהְיֽוּ׃ וְשִׁשָּׁ֣ה קָנִ֔ים יֹצְאִ֖ים מִצִּדֶּ֑יהָ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה ׀ קְנֵ֣י מְנֹרָ֗ה מִצִּדָּהּ֙ הָאֶחָ֔ד וּשְׁלֹשָׁה֙ קְנֵ֣י מְנֹרָ֔ה מִצִּדָּ֖הּ הַשֵּׁנִֽי׃
You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece. Six branches shall issue from its sides; three branches from one side of the lampstand and three branches from the other side of the lampstand.
תיעשה המנורה. מֵאֵלֶיהָ, לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה מִתְקַשֶּׁה בָהּ, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה הַשְׁלֵךְ אֶת הַכִּכָּר לָאוּר וְהִיא נַעֲשֵׂית מֵאֵלֶיהָ, לְכָךְ לֹא נִכְתַּב תַּעֲשֶׂה:
תיעשה המנורה — The passive form used here in contradistinction to the active forms of עשה used throughout this section in connection with the making of the vessels indicates that it shall be made of itself (automatically). Because Moses was puzzled by it (the work of the candlestick), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Cast the talent of gold into fire and it will be made of itself.” For this reason it does not say here תַּעֲשֶׂה “thou shalt make”
תניא רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה אומר ארון של אש ושלחן של אש ומנורה של אש ירדו מן השמים וראה משה ועשה כמותם
§ It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: An Ark of fire and a Table of fire and a Candelabrum of fire descended from the Heavens, and Moses saw their format and fashioned the vessels for the Tabernacle in their likeness.
גביעיה. הֵן כְּמִין כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁעוֹשִׂין מִזְּכוּכִית, אֲרֻכִּים וּקְצָרִים:
גביעיה — They were like that kind of goblets which are made of glass and which are long and slender:
כפתריה. כְּמִין תַּפּוּחִים הָיוּ, עֲגֻלִּין סָבִיב, בּוֹלְטִין סְבִיבוֹת הַקָּנֶה הָאֶמְצָעִי, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁעוֹשִׂין לַמְּנוֹרוֹת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַשָּׂרִים:
כפתריה — These were like apples, globular, projecting all round the middle branch (shaft), such as are made for candlesticks of princely houses:
יצאים מצדיה. לְכָאן וּלְכָאן בַּאֲלַכְסוֹן, נִמְשָׁכִים וְעוֹלִין עַד כְּנֶגֶד גָּבְהָהּ שֶׁל מְנוֹרָה:
יצאים מצדיה — on each side slantwise extending on high up to the level of the candlestick proper:
Avraham Maimuni:
The six branches extend from the central shaft of the Menorah to its height in a straight line, as depicted by my father of blessed memory, and not rounded as depicted by others.
ירכה. הוּא הָרֶגֶל שֶׁלְּמַטָּה הֶעָשׂוּי כְּמִין תֵּבָה, וּשְׁלֹשָׁה רַגְלַיִם יוֹצְאִין הֵימֶנּוּ וּלְמַטָּה:
ירכה — the foot (the base) below, which was made in form of a box, three legs coming out from it underneath.
שפודים של ברזל היו וחיפום בבעץ העשירו עשאום של כסף חזרו והעשירו עשאום של זהב
In the time of the Hasmoneans the Candelabrum was not fashioned from wood but from spits [shappudim] of iron, and they covered them with tin. Later, when they grew richer and could afford to fashion a Candelabrum of higher-quality material, they fashioned the Candelabrum from silver. When they again grew richer, they fashioned the Candelabrum from gold.
Prof. Steven Fine in The Menorah:
The discovery by our team of the same yellow ochre pigment on both the branches and the base would suggest, however, that they. were the same color, apparently made of the same material.
Prof. Steven Fine in The Menorah:
The arch base includes nothing that Jews could consider to be "idolatrous" deities … only animals that everyone in those days believed could be found somewhere in the world, if only we knew where to look. … Reflecting back on first century Jerusalem, the Rabbis were very clear that animal images were not a religious problem. Tosefta Avodah Zarah 5:2 cites a first-century sage: "Said Rabbi Eliezer son of Tsadok: All sorts of [animal] faces could be found in Jerusalem, but nit the face of a person."
ועשית מנורת זהב טהור וכן ראוי שיהיה ענין האור השכלי בחלק העיוני וגם כן אורו בחלק המעשי, שיהיו פונים אל האור העליון לעבדו שכם אחד, כי אז יאירו כלם, כמו שיעד במנורה באמרו בהעלותך את הנרות, אל מול פני המנורה וכו' וזה מעשה המנורה מקשה, כי בהיות כל האור מכוון לאחד בענין המקשה המורה אחדות, אז נראה אור כי יהל מן המאור הגדול:
ועשית מנורת זהב טהור. Inasmuch the lights symbolized spiritual “enlightenment,” the lesson is that in all our efforts at obtaining such enlightenment, and during all the digressions that the pursuit of such disciplines necessarily entails, we must never lose sight of the direction in which we are striving and keep this central idea of such enlightenment resulting in us becoming better servants of the Lord, constantly in front of our minds eye. The reason that there were lights on both the right side of the center shaft as well as on the left side, is that pursuit of enlightenment expresses itself both in gaining of theoretical knowledge, ethical imperatives, but no less so in the practical application of such lessons learned.