Gravestone Torphichen Preceptory, West Lothian

Description

Gravestone to Henrietta Bryce died 1841 within cemetery at Torphichen Preceptory, West Lothian, Scotland. The 7 candle menorah is first mentioned in the biblical book of Exodus (25:31–40), according to which the design of the lamp was revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. The candlestick was to be forged out of a single piece of gold and was to have six branches, “three out of one side, and three out of the other” (Exodus 25:31). The cup atop the central shaft, which is somewhat elevated to signify the Sabbath, was flanked by three lights on each side. It was forged by the craftsman Bezalel and put in the Tabernacle, and its cups in the shape of flower blossoms suggested the tree of life. The menorah's seven branches represented the five visible planets, plus the sun and the moon, and its rounded branches suggested their trajectories across the heavens.