Israel Matzav

Overnight music video - Mama Rochel

I'm putting the overnight music video up a little early this evening in the hope that more of you will see it and read the story that goes with it.

Tonight, the 11th day of the Jewish month of Cheshvan, is the anniversary of the death of our matriarch Rachel.

All of the other patriarchs and matriarchs are buried in the cave of Machpeila in Hebron. Rachel, however, is buried along a roadside in Bethlehem. In the second chapter of Jeremiah, the prophet describes how Rachel 'emerged' from her grave to plead with God to have mercy on His children as they passed the grave on the way to exile. Jeremiah lived during the period of the First Temple's destruction.

There's a story that goes along with how Jews continue to visit Rachel's tomb relatively easily even though it is in Bethlehem. It's a story that's worth retelling.

Chaim Silberstein of the Jerusalem Capital Development Fund streamlined the access pass for the bulletproof bus and then took the group to the properties whose purchase his organization facilitated. Chaim told the story of how Rachel's Tomb was saved from the clutches of the Palestinians:

"During the Rabin administration, Kever Rachel was slated to fall into 'Area A', that is, under full Arab civil and military control. Upon seeing this, Knesset Member Chanan Porat [National Religious Party. CiJ] decided that he must speak with Rabin in the hopes of changing his mind. As Chanan Porat was walking to Rabin's office, Knesset Member Rabbi Menachem Porush [United Torah Judaism. CiJ] asked Porat where he was going. Hearing that Porat was about to fight for Kever Rachel, Porush asked to join in the meeting. At Rabin's office, Chanan Porat was diligently explaining the ins and outs of the security situation at Kever Rachel and making rational arguments that did not seem to move Rabin.

"Suddenly Rabin looked at Porush and saw that he was crying. Porush held Rabin's hands and with tears streaming down his face, said: 'Yitzchak, it's Mamma Rachel, Mamma Rachel.' At that moment Rabin's heart opened, and he altered the map so that Kever Rachel would remain in Jewish hands."

As many of you know, Rabin himself was assassinated soon thereafter, after sundown on the 11th day of the month of Cheshvan. Although the anniversary of his death is therefore the 12th day of Cheshvan, the anniversary is observed on the 11th.

This song is actually an English song and I chose the specific video because it includes the words. It's a favorite of my three daughters, who have been known to sign it at the top of their lungs in our kitchen. The song was composed by Abie Rothenberg and is sung by Yaakov Schweky.

Let's go to the videotape.



And as a bonus, here's another version with lots of pictures of the tomb. In case you're trying to date the pictures, it didn't start looking like a fortress until 2000.

Let's go to the videotape.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:04 PM