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Cave of the Patriarchs

(Redirected from Tomb of the Patriarchs)

The Cave of the Patriarchs is considered to be the spiritual center of the ancient city of Hebron. It is called in Hebrew Me-arat Hamachpela: "The Cave of the 'double' caves or tombs", because it reputedly has twin caves within it and also has four pairs of Biblical couples buried inside of it.

Contents

Book of Genesis

It is mentioned as having been purchased by the Hebrew patriarch Abraham as a burial plot for his family after his wife Sarah dies (Book of Genesis, 23 [1]). He bought a plot of land near Hebron from Ephron the Hittite, the Cave of Mechpelah, for 400 shekels of silver. There he buried his wife Sarah. Later Abraham himself Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, and Leah were buried there. (Rachel was buried near Bethlehem). This site is now known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs or Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs and is a shrine for both Jews and Arabs most of whom are Muslims

Judaism

Judaism considers the spot to be sacred, as well as the first material purchase of real estate by the Hebrew Abraham in the Land of Canaan (the "Promised Land"). According to Jewish tradition, four Biblical and primal patriarchal couples mentioned in the Book of Genesis are buried there:

Muslims

It is also known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi (Abraham)mosque, and today it is in the mostly Arab populated West Bank city of Hebron. The site has been occupied since the time of Herod the Great by a large structure, since the Arab conquest a mosque under the control of the Muslim Waqf a traditional trust holding land for Islamic religious purposes. During periods such as the Crusades when Christians were in control of the site it has been a church. Despite Israeli occupation of the West Bank, access by Jews remains limited.

Status

Both Judaism and Islam agree that entombed within are the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) as well as three matriarchs (Sarah, Rebeccah, and Leah). Their graves are made inaccessible by the cenotaphs that cover them.

The cave is the second holiest site in Judaism (after the Temple Mount) and holds considerable theological significance to Islam and Christianity as well.

Conflict

When the city was under the control of the Ottoman Turks, Jews were forbidden to enter and were only permitted to pray outside a few steps up the entering stairway.

When Israel captured the area during the 1967 Six Day War, it is said that then Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan was given the keys and shown the actual secret hidden passageways that lead to the below-ground tombs.

In 1994, militant Jewish fundamentalist Baruch Goldstein killed 29 Palestinians at the site. Jews praying there have also been subject to numerous attacks, the most prominent among them being the 1929 Hebron Massacre, a pogrom in which Arab rioters killed 67 Jews throughout the city. The Wye River Accords provided a temporary status agreement for the site and Hebron itself.

Current Situation

Since the eruption of the recent Intifada, the site has been the subject of many attacks, directed towards Jews in prayer. Subsequently the IDF has surrounded the site with soldiers and forbidden Palestinians from entering the area.

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Last updated: 11-03-2004 15:13:44