– 252

The work can be presented in two formal modes: with the eight arms aligned, equidistant and at the same height, the central shammash, four on one side and four on the other, or it can expand three-dimensionally with the central shammash and all the arms around it, concentric, of different lengths, each rotating 360°. The title derives from the shape reminiscent of the solar system, with its cyclic movement, from the common root of the words shammash and shemesh (sun) and from the relationship of the Jewish calendar and its festivals with the cycles of the sun, moon, sunsets and seasons. The candleholders appear as planets, cylindrical and all different in shape and colours of brass, copper and silver, but when opened, they become lodgings for candles that can actually be used, uniting the sculptural aspect of the work with its being functional for the celebration of the feast.