Definitions
Etymologies
- From Hebrew שַׁמָּשׁ (shamásh, "waiter, sexton"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The unlit candle could be the shamash, which is not required for the mitzva, he said.”
“The menorah has a ninth "helper" flame -- known as the shamash -- used to light the other candles.”
“A "shamash" is a servant, usually the person who looks after the synagogue, and there is something about personifying this humble candle as a beadle that amused me as a child.”
“The nine-branch Menorah holds eight candles, one for each night of Hanukkah, and a central candle called a "shamash" from which the other eight are lit.”
“Hanukkah is an eight-day festival signified by the nine-branch Menorah, which holds eight candles, one for each night, and a central candle called a "shamash" from which the other eight are lit.”
“The center flame, the "shamash" or servant flame, rises from the base and serves to light the others.”
“The ninth candle stands apart from the other eight and is called the "shamash," used to light the candles.”
“So now there are two menorahs in my grandmother's window, one tall silver one that she kindles each night boasting their colors and luminous light, and a small humble brass menorah with 50-year-old orange candles perfectly staged, except for the shamash that is now slightly singed.”
“So to, if each show in Matisyahu's Festival of Light is it's own unique flame, then the shamash, this opening show, was a helping of pure holiday fire.”
“An additional flame, the shamash, is needed to symbolically help the other flames be revealed in the world.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘shamash’.
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Hanukkah Words
Hanukkah, Chanukah, shammash, shamash, shammes, candle, candelabrum, menorah, chanukkiah, oil, eight, tzedakah and 11 more...
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the gods must be crazy!
quetzalcoatl, baron-samedi, loa, orichas, arianrhod, aine, amaethon, annwn, arnemetia, balor, badbh, bean nighe and 1061 more...
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King in Uruk
Words encountered reading portions of The Epic of Gilgamesh, in translation by N.K. Sandars (Penguin Epics)
cornice, tocsin, firmament, ishtar, anu, gilgamesh, enkidu, nisaba, samuqan, aruru, ninurta, harlot and 26 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for shamash.
asativum "Shamash the glorious sun" from The Epic of Gilgamesh. Jun 17, 2008