via City of David Ancient Jerusalem Parshat Chayei Sarah **************** In the “Chayei Sarah” Torah portion, we have the first instance of one of the foundations of the Jewish community- burial. Abraham acquires a burial cave in the fields of Machpelah in Hebron, making it then and now the City of our Forefathers. Burial caves were very common in the First and Second Temple periods. Many have been found around Jerusalem, with around seventy on the Mount of Olives, opposite the City of David. People have been buried on the Mount of Olives from the time of King David, and burial there continues to this day. What is the difference between using burial plots, as we do today, and burial caves? Burial plots are individual- “Here lies ___”- him and no other. Burial caves are for families and there is no marker for the individual. Many people are buried in a burial cave- parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, all who lived in a specific area over the course of generations. When one hears that a person is “buried with his forefathers” it is not metaphorical, but literal. This person is part of family lineage, a tradition. Shabbat Shalom friends!
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 00:42:31 +0000
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