Cave of Machpela - Jewish Quarters

We left the Muslim side and I headed to the other side, the Jewish quarters. Khalid was not allowed to enter, so he waited for me at a coffee shop. I got to the top of the building and noticed this mezuzah, which is affixed to the doorframe of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house."according to Deuteronomy 6:9. These verses comprise the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael," and begins with the phrase "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One."



As I entered in, I was instantly greeted by this very friendly Jewish guy, named Yosef, who proceeded to give me a tour of the site.


I was very glad he was there, and it was almost like he was waiting for me, which was great, and he proceeded to tell me of the tensions in the area between the Palestinians and Jews and a lot of the history surrounding the area. He mentioned that in 1995 the Wye River Accords, part of the Arab-Israeli peace process, included a temporary status agreement for the site, restricting access for both Jews and Muslims. As part of this agreement, the Muslims control 81% of the building, including the whole of the southeastern section, which lies above the only known entrance to the caves, and possibly over the entirety of the caves themselves. In consequence, Jews are not permitted to visit the Cenotaphs of Isaac or Rebekah, which lie entirely within the southeastern section, except for 10 days a year which hold special significance in Judaism. One of these days is the Shabbat of Haye Sarah, when the Jews read the Torah portion concerning the death of Abraham and Sarah, and that concerning the purchase by Abraham of the land in which the caves are situated.


But he showed me the cenotaph of Jacob, which basically looked just like all the rest of them, but I really wanted to see it.
According to the Jewish teachings, the Patriarchs were buried in the cave because the cave is the threshold to the Garden of Eden. The Patriarchs are said not to be dead but "sleeping". They rise to beg mercy for their children throughout the generations.
There is also a Jewish tradition that praying at the Tomb will bring good fortune in finding a proper spouse. There are Hebrew prayers of supplication for marriage on the walls of the Sarah cenotaph. So of course I offered up my prayers for that!!