Rachel's Tomb, c. 1910

Rachel's Tomb (Hebrew: קבר רחל; Arabic: translit. Qubbat Rakhil, trans. Dome of Rachel), is the traditional gravesite of the Biblical Matriarch Rachel and is widely considered the third holiest site in Judaism. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation Rachel (; meaning "ewe" is the second and favorite Wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, first mentioned in the Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut It is located in the central West Bank on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a

Location and dimensions

On the outskirts of Canaan, Rachel, wife of Jacob, went into a difficult labour with her second son, Benjamin. Canaanites redirects here For the 1940s social and political movement in Israel, see Canaanites (movement. Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; Benjamin ( in the Book of Genesis, is a son of Jacob, the second (and last son of Rachel, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin She died during childbirth on Cheshvan 11. Cheshvan ( Hebrew: חֶשְׁוָן, Standard Ḥešvan Tiberian Ḥešwān) short for ^[1] The Bible records the event:

"And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. " — Genesis 35:19-20

Today, along the biblical Bethlehem-Ephrath road, adjacent to the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Gilo at the northern entrance to Bethlehem, stands an ancient tomb traditionally believed to be that of Rachel. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Ephrath or Ephratah ( Hebrew: אפרת\ה is the name of a Biblical place or tribe Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Gilo (גילֹה is a neighborhood in southern Jerusalem built on land De facto annexed to Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War. Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a Rachel (; meaning "ewe" is the second and favorite Wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, first mentioned in the This location is mentioned by Jewish travellers since c1300.

The actual tomb consists of a rock with 11 stones upon it, one for each of the 11 sons of Jacob who were alive when Rachel died in childbirth. Over the centuries, the rock was covered by a dome supported by four arches. In 1841, Sir Moses Montefiore was granted permission by the Ottoman Turks to restore the tomb. Sir Moses Haim Montefiore 1st Baronet ( October 24, 1784 - July 28, 1885) was one of the The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish He built the large, two-room building seen today. A month before he died at Tamuz in 1885, he pledged to have it renovated and the dome structure was eventually enclosed by Sir Moses Montefiore, who added a second room. The dome was fortified and enclosed inside a building with a hall from the entrance in the 1990s, due to the deteriorating security situation.

In 1864, the Sefardi Jews of Bombay donated the necessary money to dig a well. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Although Rachel's Tomb is only an hour and a half walk from the Old City of Jerusalem, many pilgrims found themselves very thirsty and unable to obtain fresh water. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

Others contend that Rachel's Tomb is located in northern Jerusalem at a site local Arabs call "the grave of the sons of Israel" which is near present day A-Ram, the site of Biblical Ramah. The place is mentioned in the "Prophets" section of the Hebrew Bible as the site of Rachel's burial when King Saul visits the site, in I Samuel 10:2. Nevi'im (נְבִיאִים "Prophets" is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the The Masoretic Text ( MT) is the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible ( Tanakh) Later Jewish sources take the site near Bethlehem as the real site. [1][2]

A stamp issued in 1927 by the British Mandate depicting Rachel's Tomb. The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement The Hebrew acronym (א״י Aleph-Yud) stands for Eretz Yisrael. For other uses see Israel (disambiguation The Land of Israel ( Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל Eretz Yisrael) is

History

During the Jordanian period (1948-1967), Jews were forbidden to visit the tomb despite assurances in the 1949 Armistice Agreements. The West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied by Jordan (formerly Transjordan) for a period of nearly two decades (1948&ndash1967 starting The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan Recently, the site has been surrounded by a barrier to separate it from Bethlehem. West bank walljpg|thumb|Aerial view looking east from the Israeli side Access is now restricted to pilgrims and tourists approaching from Israel.

Cultural icon

Rachel's tomb has equal status with Machpelah (the Tombs of the Patriarchs), in Hebron, as the oldest place of prayer. Hebron ( al-Ḫalīl or al-Khalīl, Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south Pilgrims stopped by her tomb on their way to and from Jerusalem on their way to Egypt hundreds of years before King Solomon built the Temple. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Pilgrims journeyed regularly from Damascus and the Euphrates valley. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria.

The Zionist movement had the building depicted on the Jewish National Fund collection boxes. History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the The Jewish National Fund ( Hebrew: קרן קימת לישראל Keren Kayemet LeYisrael) (abbreviated as JNF, and sometimes KKL) was founded Following the 1936-1939 Arab attacks against the growing Jewish population in Palestine, the ultra-orthodox Jews were evacuated from most of the older cities, including Hebron and Bethlehem, and later houses and workshops were erected on the site. The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine was an uprising during the British mandate by Arabs in Palestine which lasted from 1936 to 1939 Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. Hebron ( al-Ḫalīl or al-Khalīl, Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south Following the 1967 Six Day War the local building was restored to Jewish (and international) visiting. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt

There is an ancient tradition regarding the 'segulah' ( charm), a scarlet thread that is tied around one's neck or wrist as a protection against all forms of danger, this charm works especially for pregnant women. Before the thread may be used, it must first be wound around the Tomb of Rachel, transforming the thread into a special 'segulah'. Even today, women will circle the tomb with a scarlet thread in their hands.

This is done only at the Tomb of Rachel, because Rachel was considered the "eternal mother," caring for her people when they are ill. Rachel is also deemed the perfect mediator for a pregnant woman, especially when she goes into the delivery room.

There is also a tradition regarding the key that unlocked the tomb. The key was about fifteen centimeters long, made of brass by Reb Zalman of Jerusalem in such a way that the lock was unbreakable. The beadle kept it with him at all times, and it was not uncommon that someone would knock at his door in the middle of the night.

"Please," came the voice of someone at the door. "So-and-so is having strong labor pains. We need the key. "

As soon as the beadle gave the person the key, the person would dash to the bedside of the expectant mother and place the key under her pillow and almost immediately, the pains would subside and the delivery would take place peacefully.

Over the years, Rachel's Tomb has been a place of pilgrimage for Jews, especially Jewish women unable to give birth. Many come to visit on the 11th of the Jewish month of Cheshvan, the anniversary of her death. Jewish tradition teaches that Rachel weeps for her children and that when the Jews were taken into exile, she wept as they passed by her grave on the way to Babylonia. Babylonia was an Amorite state in lower Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq) with Babylon as its capital Believers in Kabbalah sometimes wrap red string around the tomb and then make it into bracelets that serve as talismans. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Wearing a thin red string (as a type of talisman) is a custom popularly thought to be associated with Judaism 's Kabbalah, in order to ward off misfortune bracelet is an article of Jewelry which is worn around the Wrist. An amulet ( the Elder|Pliny]] meaning "an object that protects a person from trouble" a close cousin of the talisman (from Arabic

Claims of Muslim origin

For centuries, Muslims as well as Jews recognized the site as Rachel's Tomb. Since 1996, Palestinians have referred to the site as the alleged "Bilal ibn Rabah" mosque in an attempt to claim it as their own. The claim is that it was built by Muslims at the time of the Arab conquest, despite the site's thoroughly documented history. The Muslim conquest of Syria occurred in the first half of the 7th century and refers to the region known as the Bilad al-Sham, the Levant, or Greater Syria ^[2]

Footnotes

External links

• A site dedicated to Rachel's Tomb

See also

• List of burial places of biblical figures