Ohel ( he, אוהל; plural: , literally, "tent") is a structure built around a Jewish grave as a sign of prominence of the deceased. cover the graves of some (but not all) Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic Rebbes, important rabbis, tzadikim, prominent Jewish community leaders, and biblical figures. Typically a small masonry building, an may include room for visitors to pray, meditate, and light candles in honor of the deceased.

Source

According to Krajewska, the tradition of covering a grave with an may be based on the Cave of the Patriarchs, in which Abraham buried Sarah. Nolan Menachemson suggests that the Hasidic tradition of covering the graves of Rebbes with an derives from the ("Tent of Meeting") in which Moses communicated with God during the Israelites' travels in the desert.

Construction

are usually simple masonry structures. They may include one or two windows. In prewar Poland, the of a Rebbe was located close by the Hasidic philosophy, Hasidic court, and was big enough to accommodate a of ten men beside the grave. The of the Chabad, Lubavitcher Rebbes in Queens, New York, is unusual in that it does not have a roof. This allows to visit the graves without coming into contact with Tumah and taharah, impurity from the dead.

Use

In the case of a Hasidic Rebbe, the ''ohel'' is a place for visitors to pray, meditate, write ''kvitelach'' (petitionary prayer notes), and light candles in honor of the deceased. ''Ohelim'' of Hasidic Rebbes, as well as the tombs of tzadikim venerated by Moroccan Jews, serve as year-round pilgrimage sites, with the biggest influx of visitors coming on the Rebbe's or tzadik's Yom Hillula (anniversary of death).

Notable ohelim

One or more graves may be included in the same ''ohel''. Notable ''ohelim'' include: Jewish cemetery Ozarow IMGP5087

Single-grave ohel

* Baba Sali, Netivot, Israel * Chaim Joseph David Azulai, Chida, Har HaMenuchot, Jerusalem * Jonathan ben Uzziel, Yonatan ben Uziel, Amuka, Israel, Amuka, Israel * Elimelech of Lizhensk, Leżajsk, Poland * Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, leader of pre-war Eastern European Jewry * Nachman of Breslov, Uman, Ukraine, Uman, Ukraine * Nathan of Breslov, Bratslav, Breslov, Ukraine * Rachel, wife of Rabbi Akiva, Tiberias, Israel * Vilna Gaon, Vilnius, Lithuania

Multiple-grave ohel

* Avraham Mordechai Alter and Pinchas Menachem Alter, the third and sixth rebbes of Ger (Hasidic dynasty), Ger, Jerusalem * Baal Shem Tov, Ze'ev Wolf Kitzes, the Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov, Degel Machaneh Ephraim, the Avraham Yehoshua Heshel, Apter Rav, and Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh, Medzhybizh, Ukraine * Avrohom Bornsztain and his son Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain (second Sochatchover rebbe), Shmuel Bornsztain, Sochatchov (Hasidic dynasty), Sochatchover Rebbes * Dov Ber of Mezeritch and Zusha of Hanipol, Zusha of Anipoli * Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe), Shlomo Halberstam and Naftali Halberstam, the third and fourth Bobov (Hasidic dynasty), Bobover Rebbes, New York * Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the sixth and seventh Chabad, Lubavitcher Rebbes, Queens, New York * Joel Teitelbaum and Moses Teitelbaum, first and second Satmar (Hasidic dynasty), Satmar Rebbes

Biblical figures and Talmudic sages

Biblical figures and Mishnaic and Talmudic sages are typically buried in ''ohelim'': * Benjamin (near Kfar Saba, Israel) * Esther and Mordechai, Hamadan, Iran * Habakkuk, northern Israel * Judah (Bible), Judah, Yehud, Israel * Rabbi Meir or Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes (Rabbi Meir the miracle maker) was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishna. * Rachel, near Bethlehem * Simeon bar Yochai, Meron, Israel is the site of a large annual Lag BaOmer celebration * Jose the Galilean, Yose HaGelili, Dalton, Israel

Gallery

File:Rachel's Tomb c1910.jpg, Rachel's Tomb, covered by a distinctive, dome-shaped ''ohel'', as it appeared circa 1910 File:Imrei Emes and Pnei Menachem graves.jpg, The graves of Avraham Mordechai Alter (right) and his son, Pinchas Menachem Alter (left) in an ''ohel'' adjacent to the Sfas Emes Yeshiva in downtown Jerusalem File:Ohel Baal Shem Tov.jpg, Ohel of the Baal Shem Tov in Medzhybizh, Ukraine File:אהל הרבי מליובאוויטש.JPG, Ohel (Chabad-Lubavitch), Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbes in Queens, New York File:BabaSaliTomb exterior.jpg, Tomb of the Baba Sali in Netivot, Israel File:GraveOfJonathanBenUzziel.jpg, Ohel of Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel in Amuka, Israel File:Shomrei Shabbos Cemetery 20161228 25.jpg, Ohel of the Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty), Vizhnitzer Rebbes in Bnei Brak File:Tomb of Ester and Mordechai interior.jpg, Interior of ohel of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan, Iran

References

Sources

* * * * * * * {{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nk_RFL9LYg0C&pg=PA117 , title=Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, first=Sol, last=Steinmetz, year=2005, publisher=Rowman & Littlefield, isbn=0742543870

External links

Chabad.org: The Ohel
Jewish practices Jewish cemeteries Jewish holy places Jewish mausoleums Jewish pilgrimage sites Jewish buildings