During the life of a tzadik, or a Jewish holy righteous person, people come to him in order to be blessed. Many people ask the tzadik to pray on their behalf because words from his holy mouth are more welcome in Heaven.
It is said, however, that once a tzadik dies, he has even more power than when he was alive. Jewish tradition explains that this is because the tzadik’s soul is now free of his body and he can more easily approach the throne of God.
For this reason, the grave of a tzadik is a place that people come to pray and ask for his advocacy in Heaven. Prayers at the Kivrei Tzadikim, or graves of the Ancient Righteous, provide a chance to communicate with God on a higher level and are the source of a special blessing.
Because America is a “baby country,” you won’t find any Kivrei Tzadikim here. You can find some throughout Europe, although many have been either inaccessible until recently or were greatly damaged due to WWI and WWII.
The most popular place to visit the Graves of the Ancient Righteous is, of course, in Israel. Here you’ll find dozens of graves, each one being a bit different. Some of the tzadikim promised specific help to the people who would come to pray at their tombs.
For example, the tomb of Rabbi Yonatan Ben Uziel in Amuka is known as a place where single men and women come to pray to find their true soul mates. Many of them get married within a year from their visit to this grave.
It is a traditional Jewish practice to place small rocks on gravestones. You’ll see on certain popular sites, such as the grave of Rabbi Yonatan Ben Uziel, that the large piles of stones attest to a great number of visitors.
Thousands of visitors pray at the Kivrei Tzadikim each year. You’ll find many graves throughout the area of Mt. Zion, Mt. Herzl, the Mt. of Olives, and Jerusalem. You can find a complete listing of the Kivrei Tzadikim of Israel here: http://www.koogle.co.il/English/Businesses/Kivrei-Tzadikim
A truly fascinating story of the grave of a tzadik is a part of very recent history. In fact, this story is one that occurred recently.
In the summer of 2009 a native New Yorker named Mitch Pilcer, who now operates a bed-and-breakfast in Tzippori in lower Galilee, was making preparations to build more rooms. He discovered a cave with an inscription at its entrance testifying that the Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi was buried there. The interesting thing is that this rabbi is not supposed to have a grave at all.
According to the accepted tradition, the 3rd-century sage and head of a yeshiva moved his institution from Lod to Tiberias as he grew older. Ben Levi, whose sayings are mentioned in the Mishnah, was one of 10 saintly men who, tradition says, ascended to heaven without actually dying. However, the inscription at the entrance to the cave clearly states: “This is the burial place of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi Hakapar.”
(Pilcer contacted the ultra-Orthodox organization Atra Kadisha, which seeks to protect ancient graves and tries to prevent construction in their vicinity to avoid desecrating the honor of the dead.)
Isn’t it amazing that every day Jewish history is still being made? To read the whole story of the grave of the Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi click here: http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1160495.html
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