How to Place Stones on a Jewish Grave Marker
Submitted by
staff on Tue, 03/09/2010 at 10:26am.
(By Jeremiah Blanchard)
The act of placing stones on a Jewish grave marker, historically, has not been discerned as to its true origin. In biblical times, the graves of Jewish people were marked with a mound of stones rather than a gravestone. Some scholars believe that the placement of a stone represents this ancient tradition. The mounds would eventually crumble away, and visitors would replace the stones over time. Another theory states that a tradition of writing letters or prayers, and leaving them on the grave site, was a common practice. A stone was placed on the letter to keep it in place, and after time, the letter would blow away and only the stone would remain. Modern Jewish culture widely accepts the placement of stones at the grave site, and this is considered as an act of remembrance, and shows that someone has indeed visited the grave, and denotes permanence.
Step 1
Locate a small stone to bring with you to the grave or cemetery. The stone shouldn't be too large, just big enough to fit in the palm of your hand. When visiting the grave site you may not be able to find a stone to place on the grave, and removing stones from other graves is considered highly disrespectful.
Step 2
Go to the grave site of the Jewish relative or friend that you wish to pay your respect to. Even if you barely knew the person, it is still acceptable in Jewish culture to visit the site. In ancient times, many Jewish people replaced stones on the mounds of graves even if they knew the person or not, simply out of respect.
Step 3
Recite a psalm or prayer in respect for the dead. This can be any prayer that you prefer. This is also a traditional custom to pray for the soul of the dead while paying your respect, and before placing the stone on the grave.
Step 4
Place the stone on the earth directly in front of the headstone, or on top of the headstone. Be sure not to disturb or move any other stones on the grave. This is disrespectful, and moving objects left behind by others is prohibited in most cemeteries.
Tips & Warnings
-
Orthodox Jews, and some other sects of Judaism generally visit the grave of a loved one on the Yahrtzeit, or time of year commemorating the individuals day of death. Yahrtzeit is a Yiddish term meaning; "Time of [one] year".
-
Do not place flowers on a Jewish grave site. This is not a traditional Jewish custom.
|
73 reads | 0 comments |
0 votes: