The_resting_place_of_Abraham_has_been_the_site_of_some_conflict

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Shalom Israel,

While the purpose of Biblical archeology is not to prove the Bible is the
Word of God, it does shed light on historical facts of the time.



Cave of the Patriarchs: The only fully intact historical structure built by
Herod sits atop the burial caves of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca
and Leah. It is a treasure to Jews, Muslims, Christians and archaeologists.

Today, the only fully intact historical structure built by Herod in
1st century BCE is in southern Israel.

This large imposing building with six-foot stone walls sits atop the Cave of
the Patriarchs, the second holiest site in Judaism (the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem being the most holy place).

It’s astonishing that this building is not only still standing, but fully
intact, and doing what it was designed to do __ provide a place for
Jewish gathering and prayers at the graves of the patriarchs and matriarchs
of the Jewish People.

The Cave of the Patriarchs (Cave of Machpelah), which is in the Israeli
city of Hebron, is the world’s most ancient Jewish site. It’s also one of the
most famous pieces of real estate on earth.



Cave of the Patriarchs and surrounding area

According to the Word of God, Abraham purchased the cave and its
adjoining field of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, approximately 3700 years
ago, making it the first plot of land purchased as the legal possession of the
Jewish People.

“His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebron in Machpelah Cave
that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the
Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah.” (Genesis 25:9-10)

With the exception of Rachel, who was buried near Beit Lechem (third holiest
site in Judaism), where she died during childbirth, all of the Patriarchs and
Matriarchs of the Jewish People are buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs:
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah.



Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, circa 1910

As Joseph promised his father Jacob, when Jacob died in Egypt, Joseph
buried his father’s body in the Cave of Machpelah.

"I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the
cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah,
near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from
Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. There Abraham and his wife Sarah
were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I
buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites."
(Genesis 49: 29-32)

Since this site is of such significance to the Jewish People, countless
Jewish people have journeyed to the cave over the ages, including Caleb,
ho was the first recorded person to journey to their resting place to pray.



A Jewish man praying at the wall of the Cave of
the Patriarchs

Although Herod’s original structure was without a roof, the Arabs built a
mosque within these Herodian walls.

It only follows that the site with such significance changed hands many times
as Christians and Arabs fought over it. The Crusaders controlled the site in
1100 AD, but it was quickly reverted back to a mosque.

Around the 1490s, access to the cave was closed. It’s still closed today to
the Jewish People.

Muslim rulers, in the late 14th century, forbade Jews from entering
the site, although they could approach the site up to the 5th step on the
southeast staircase. Eventually, the Jewish People were allowed to go as
far as the 7th step.



Because there is a Jewish tradition that praying at the Tomb will bring
success in finding a spouse, prayers of supplication for marriage often
take place on the walls of the Sarah cenotaph.


History of the Cave of the Patriarchs

Hebron is the site of the oldest Jewish community in the world, dating
back to Biblical times. Despite not being allowed past the 7th step of
the Caves of the Patriarchs, the Jews in Hebron would still pray there.

Sadly this old community was massacred in 1929 when the Arabs stormed
the Jewish Quarter. Besides the murders, Jewish homes and synagogues
were also ransacked.

Arabs were incited to commit this massacre after being fed false rumors that
Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and seizing control of Muslim
holy places.

In this tragic incident on August 23 and 24, 1929, 67 Jews were killed in
Hebron, which was then part of the British Mandate of Palestine.

The death toll might have been much higher except for 19 heroic, local Arab
families, who at great risk to themselves, hid 435 Jews in their houses and
saved their lives.

Following the 1929 Hebron massacre, the British Authorities severely
restricted Jewish access to the tombs and evacuated all the Jewish
survivors from Hebron.

Today, this area is predominantly Muslim. The walls Herod built to protect
the patriarch's tombs have been converted to a large mosque and Jewish
access to the cenotaphs is still limited.



The Tomb of Joseph on the southwest side of
Herod's enclosure at the Patriarch's Cave in
Hebron, Israel.

Israel, please click here to stand with Israel’s right to the Land and Archaeological sites


Continual Struggle for Access

The 1929 massacre led to the development of the Jewish paramilitary
organization of the Haganah (which in Hebrew means The Defense)
during 1936-1939, which later became the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

In 1948, after Israel became a nation, one would think that the Jewish People
would have access to the Cave of the Patriarchs. Not so.

Jordan seized control of Hebron, and the Cave of the Patriarch became
off limits to Jews since they were not allowed to enter the West Bank.

Following Israel’s miraculous victory in the 1967 Six Day War, the area came
back under Jewish control for the first time in over 2,000 years. Finally,
Jews could walk beyond the seventh step and enter the tombs of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah.



An Israeli border policeman standing guard at the entrance to the Tomb of
the Patriarchs in Hebron. Visitors go through security checks, including
metal detectors, and security cameras watch 24/7 to protect visitors and the
precious site from violence.

Peaceful sharing of the site seemed impossible, however. There have been
many violent incidents here.

On October 9th, 1968, a 17-year-old Arab youth threw a hand grenade at
Jews praying on the steps of the Tomb’s main gate. Of the 47 Jews injured,
one was an eight-month-old baby. That year there were two additional incidents.

In 1976, on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), an Arab mob of
youths desecrated several Torah scrolls and destroyed Jewish prayer books
at the tomb.

In 1980, An Arab terrorist ambush on Jewish worshippers returning from
prayers at the Tomb to Beit Hadassah left six murdered and 20 wounded.

These, of course, are but a few of the incidents.



Cave of the Patriarchs

The violence in Hebron and Kiryat Arba (an adjacent community) escalated
after the signing of the Oslo Accords in September 1993, as the PLO gained
greater control over the area.

In 1995, the Wye River Accords as part of the Arab-Israeli ‘peace process,’
gave the Muslim waqf (a Muslim administrative body) control over 81% of
the building. This means that Jews have no access to Ohel Yitzhak
(Cenotaphs of Isaac and Rebecca) with the exception of 10 days a year.

One of these 10 days is the Sabbath on which is read the Torah portion
describing the deaths of Abraham and Sarah, and the purchase of the
land and caves.

That Torah portion is called Chayei Sarah, which we just recently studied.

Jews praying in Ohel Yitzhak: The cenotaphs on the right (Isaac) and the
left (Rebecca) do not hold the bones of Isaac and Rebecca, but are over
the location of the caves where they are buried.

The site is now surrounded with Israeli soldiers, and while tourists are
permitted to enter, access is restricted to both Jews and Muslims.

On February 21, 2010, Israel announced the site as part of a national
heritage site “protection and rehabilitation plan.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the plan:

“We will create a 'historic path' from the Bible through the Second Temple
along the history of the Jewish people, and alongside it a path of the 'Israeli
experience,' through which families from around the country will be able to
learn about the heritage of our people."

Although there are those who may attempt to discredit or even destroy
the Biblical and archaeological evidence that tie the Jewish People to the
Land of Israel, the Cave of the Patriarchs is just one of many ancient
structures proving the Jewish People’s connection to their
Promised Land.

Biblical archeology, which helps to bring the Scriptures to life for the reader,
is a vital feature of our Bible Project.

If Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah could speak to us
today, we feel they would be very supportive of our Jewish Bible ministry,
which explains the Messianic Prophecies and how Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled them.

Please help us bring the Scripture to life for the Jewish people and advance
the ministry work of Bibles For Israel.


Israel please click here to support the Messianic Prophecy Bible Project and our other vital projects



"I will bless those who bless Israel" (Genesis 12:3)