Rashi says “b’alochson”, diagonal. If you want to convince yourself that it could mean diagonally round- then knock yourself out. As a matter of fact, one of the indications that the Rambam held that the branches were round was that he did not say b’alochson in describing the menorah as Rashi did. But then his manuscript and drawing were publicized. Additionally, R Avraham Ben Harambam says that the branches came out of the center B’yosher-straight explaining that it is based on the drawing of his father. It is possible that the additional menorahs that Shlomo Hamelech built were round. But the Menorahs that the koihen gadol fulfilled the mitzvah with were diagonally straight.
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