This article includes a list of general
references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding
inline citations. (June 2024) |
Tiberias Jewish cemetery | |
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בית העלמין היהודי העתיק בטבריה | |
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Details | |
Location | |
Country | Israel |
Type | Jewish |
The ancient Jewish cemetery in Tiberias is an old Jewish burial site located in Tiberias. The cemetery is situated on the northeast slope of Mount Bernice, near the Sea of Galilee and on the southern outskirts of Tiberias.
The traditions related to burial in Tiberias refer to an ancient tradition that assigns an important role to Tiberias in the end times. According to interpretations of the Babylonian Talmud, "Tiberias is the lowest of all... and from there they are destined to be redeemed". [1] Furthermore, Maimonides wrote, "It is an accepted tradition that in Tiberias they will return first, and from there they will move to the Temple". [2] From these and other sources, a tradition emerged that redemption will begin in Tiberias, and some say that the resurrection of the dead will also start there. [3] This explains the request of many, including Maimonides himself, to be buried in Tiberias.
The area where the city of Tiberias is currently located served as a cemetery in the days of Herod Antipas, even before the city was established. For this reason, observant Jews refrained from living there for a long time. [4] According to legend, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai purified the city of its impurity by cutting down the lupine plant and throwing it into the city. Wherever a corpse was hidden and a lupine was thrown, the corpse would rise to the surface. [5]
Even afterwards, the area of Tiberias continued to be used for burial. The slopes of the mountain in Tiberias, on which its new neighborhoods are now built, served as a large cemetery that was destroyed over the years. The only remaining remnants of its existence are the complex of the Tomb of Maimonides, where the graves of Maimonides, his father Maimon, his grandson Rabbi David HaNagid, the Shelah HaKadosh, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, and the Amoraim Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Assi are marked.
With the renewal of Jewish presence in Tiberias during the 18th century, a new location for the cemetery began to take shape south of the city, near the area where the "Ahva" neighborhood is now located. Rabbi Chaim Abulafia (the second), who passed away in 1744, was one of the first to be buried in the cemetery at its new location. This cemetery expanded over the years, and many important figures were buried there. Some lived in Tiberias, some came to die and be buried there, and some had their remains brought to Tiberias for burial after dying elsewhere:
The old cemetery is now closed to new burials, and a new cemetery located west of Tiberias, near the moshav of HaZor'im, is currently in use. The old cemetery primarily serves as a pilgrimage site for the graves of the righteous buried there.
This article includes a list of general
references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding
inline citations. (June 2024) |
Tiberias Jewish cemetery | |
---|---|
בית העלמין היהודי העתיק בטבריה | |
| |
Details | |
Location | |
Country | Israel |
Type | Jewish |
The ancient Jewish cemetery in Tiberias is an old Jewish burial site located in Tiberias. The cemetery is situated on the northeast slope of Mount Bernice, near the Sea of Galilee and on the southern outskirts of Tiberias.
The traditions related to burial in Tiberias refer to an ancient tradition that assigns an important role to Tiberias in the end times. According to interpretations of the Babylonian Talmud, "Tiberias is the lowest of all... and from there they are destined to be redeemed". [1] Furthermore, Maimonides wrote, "It is an accepted tradition that in Tiberias they will return first, and from there they will move to the Temple". [2] From these and other sources, a tradition emerged that redemption will begin in Tiberias, and some say that the resurrection of the dead will also start there. [3] This explains the request of many, including Maimonides himself, to be buried in Tiberias.
The area where the city of Tiberias is currently located served as a cemetery in the days of Herod Antipas, even before the city was established. For this reason, observant Jews refrained from living there for a long time. [4] According to legend, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai purified the city of its impurity by cutting down the lupine plant and throwing it into the city. Wherever a corpse was hidden and a lupine was thrown, the corpse would rise to the surface. [5]
Even afterwards, the area of Tiberias continued to be used for burial. The slopes of the mountain in Tiberias, on which its new neighborhoods are now built, served as a large cemetery that was destroyed over the years. The only remaining remnants of its existence are the complex of the Tomb of Maimonides, where the graves of Maimonides, his father Maimon, his grandson Rabbi David HaNagid, the Shelah HaKadosh, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, and the Amoraim Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Assi are marked.
With the renewal of Jewish presence in Tiberias during the 18th century, a new location for the cemetery began to take shape south of the city, near the area where the "Ahva" neighborhood is now located. Rabbi Chaim Abulafia (the second), who passed away in 1744, was one of the first to be buried in the cemetery at its new location. This cemetery expanded over the years, and many important figures were buried there. Some lived in Tiberias, some came to die and be buried there, and some had their remains brought to Tiberias for burial after dying elsewhere:
The old cemetery is now closed to new burials, and a new cemetery located west of Tiberias, near the moshav of HaZor'im, is currently in use. The old cemetery primarily serves as a pilgrimage site for the graves of the righteous buried there.