V'Shavu Banim Li'Gvulam (and your children will return to their own border)

Today the 11th of Cheshvan is the Yahrzeit of our mother, Rachel. So I decided to visit there with thousands of other Jews. I hadn't visited there since we were in Israel on a family vacation in 2003.

The burial place of Rachel, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people, is a lively place. Located at the entrance to Bethlehem, a short ten-minute drive from the center of Jerusalem, Rachel’s Tomb (Kever Rachel) has become a magnet for Jews connecting to their heritage in varied ways. Whether for religious, mystical, historic or political reasons, 21st century Jews are finding meaning in their connection to the resting place of Rachel.

During 1994 the government was drawing the map of areas which would be given to the Palestinian Authority. Apparently the drafters did not understand the spiritual importance of this place and did not include it in Area C which is the area of full Israeli control, despite the fact that it is only 500 meters from the muncipal boundary of Jerusalem. This decision would have meant it would have been impossible for Jews to continue visiting Mame Rochel. Member of Knesset decided to visit Rabin to try and convince him to change the map. On his way in to see Rabin, Porat saw MK Menachem Porush, who is a great lover of the holy places in Israel. The two MKs went in and described to Rabin the importance of Kever Rachel. Rabin was silent and did not seem to be ready to change the map. At this point, Porush began to cry and he took hold of Rabin's hands and said through his tears, "we can't leave our Mame Rochel." Rabin relented and agreed to include Kever Rachel in Area C.

Despite five years of a deadly war and the ravaging of several Jewish holy sites, the throngs returned to let mother Rachel know she is not forgotten.

Kever Rachel is not a place of military strategic importance. Its relevance is solely spiritual. Most Jews, regardless of their religious commitment, feel the depth of such a spiritual fountain; like the Western Wall in Jerusalem, it represents in a physical sense a basic tenet of Jewish faith. Rachel's Tomb has equal status with Machpelah (the Tombs of the Patriarchs) as the oldest place of prayer. Pilgrims stopped by her tomb on their way to and from Jerusalem on their way to Hebron and Egypt hundreds of years before King Solomon built the Temple. In fact, pilgrims came regularly from as far away as Damascus and the Euphrates valley to pour their hearts out to G-d at Rachel’s Tomb and the Machpelah.

In our day, the action of a few determined people ensured that Rachel’s Tomb would not be closed. Back in November 2000, after the few weeks of closure, a group of 30 women and their babies took things into their own hands and walked into Kever Rachel from the nearby Gilo Junction. Their intention was to stay until the yahrzeit to ensure that the site would remain open to all who wanted to mark the anniversary of Rachel’s death. They were forcibly evacuated that afternoon with the promise that bulletproof buses from the Junction would be allowed later that day.

To this day, those bulletproof buses are the only way Jews are allowed into Rachel's Tomb. Every morning, dozens of worshipers arrive by Egged bus at the site to spend a few moments with the spirit of one of the mothers of the Jewish people. Thanks to IDF protection, the strong stand of those women and the efforts of dedicated people like Evelyn Haies, the numbers of people visiting have risen dramatically and violence has eased lately.

On the occasion of the yahrzeit 2 years ago(November 2003), another example of Jewish action was consecrated at Kever Rachel. Mezzuzot were affixed to a property directly to the south of the Kever. The house was purchased and renovated, laying the groundwork for an eventual visitors’ center and Jewish neighborhood. The three-story building has been renovated and houses an army unit on one floor, and a self-contained apartment at the top. Bulletproof windows were installed and the house is physically linked to Kever Rachel by a cement block wall and roof.



Our guide for the day told us that due to all the activity at the site today, it would be unlikely that we would be able to visit this property even though it is owned by Jews. However as we approached the Kever, our guide noticed Member of Knesset Uri Ariel who was able to help us go to the front of the massive line of people waiting to get in to the Kever and also to go visit the property described above.


The contractor, a secular Sabra who worked on the renovation, tells the latest in a string of mystical stories about the site. He recounts how he opened the door for the first time from Rachel's Tomb into the area of the new property before he built the protective wall linking the two buildings. "I'll never forget the whoosh of the wind that blew into my face," he said. "I could feel the spirit of holiness blowing through..." It’s that spirit that apparently also appeals to adherents of Kabbalah. There is an ancient tradition -- a segulah (a charm) -- to tie a scarlet thread around one's wrist as a protection against all kinds of dangers, especially for pregnant women. Before the thread may be used, it is supposed to be wound around the Tomb of Rachel. This transforms the simple thread into a special segulah.

On the physical level, Kever Rachel has been a place of pilgrimage for Jews for more than 3,000 years. For women, the place holds obvious particular significance. According to Jewish tradition, Jacob chose to bury his wife where she died rather than in the family burial plot in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. He foresaw that his descendants would pass her burial place on their way to Exile in Babylonia (423 CE) and that she would intercede with G-d on their behalf. The prophet Jeremiah portrays Rachel as a concerned mother weeping inconsolably until G-d assures her children’s well being:

"Rachel is weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted, because her children are not present. G-d says, don’t let your voice weep and your eyes fill with tears. For your work will be rewarded, G-d says, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for the future, and your children will return to their own border.". (Jeremiah 31:14-17) This final pasuk had special meaning for us this year - When I received my first aliyah on Shabbat upon our arrival to Neve Daniel, the whole congregation sang these words as they do for each new arrival to the yishuv. In addition our group sang this song as we walked from our bus to the entrance of the Kever.

The site is first mentioned in Bereshit (35:19-20) where we learn that Rachel was buried "on the road to Efrat, which is Bet Lehem." The famed 12th century Jewish traveler, Benjamin of Metudela described Kever Rachel in 1170, and until the 19th century nothing changed. Then the tomb was given a domed roof, and renovated by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1841. The only period in history when the tomb was not under Jewish control was for just 19 years of its existence, when it fell into Jordanian hands from 1948 until the Six Day War in 1967.

Tomorrow our boys go to visit Kever Rachel on a school trip. Just a little different from the school trips they were used to in Toronto.