A moving prayer and cry to Heaven will rise from the Cave of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs on the eve of Shabbat Parshat Chayei Sarah.

 

 

by Noam Arnon

In recent years, it has become tradition that this Shabbat unites tens of thousands of the people from all around Israel and abroad in Hebron. Residents of Hebron open their homes and host thousands of guests who come to experience the Torah reading that describes the purchase of the Cave of Machpela where it happened. Many even get to enter the structure atop the Cave to be near what is called the entrance to the Garden of Eden according to the sages in the Midrash. All over Hebron, hundreds of caravans appear and thousands of tents are set up. Huge tents are built in the square by the Cave of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs in which thousands enjoy Shabbat meals. 

Anyone who experiences this Shabbat can not forget it and come the next year with friends and family. 

But this year, of course, such a mass event cannot take place due to the directives of the Home Front Command.

 

(Although there have been no alarms in Hebron and we are not in in a red zone.) The Jewish community of Hebron came up with alternative plans through which it is possible to connect to the Cave of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs even from afar. First, a website was launched with articles, videos, interactive presentations, photos and much more are available for free download.  This allows every individual to feel a bond and a connection to Hebron and the Cave of Machpela for the Shabbat Chayei Sarah.

In addition, there will be a special prayer vigil on Thursday at 6:00pm Israel time outside the Cave of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs in which we will raise our voices for the people of Israel, the victory of the Israel Defense Forces, and the rescue and return of the abducted. The prayer service will be attended by rabbis, community leaders, and the families of the fallen and abducted local residents. 

Two abductees are from Kiryat Arba, Eitan Mor and Eliakim Libman, the son of the head of the council Eliyahu Libman. A special artistic presentation will be projected on the walls of the Cave of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs which will include pictures of the abductees, Jewish symbols and symbols of the IDF and the State of Israel, prayers, chapters from Psalms and more. 

The solidarity gathering will be simultaneously broadcast in English online to all over the world. 

The rabbis of Kiryat Arba Hebron, Kabbalists, heads of yeshivot, leaders and activists of the Jewish community of Hebron will participate in the prayer which will include the blowing of silver trumpets and shofars. 

Guests will include Chief Rabbi of Tzfat Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and others representing diverse Jewish communities. 
The residents of Hebron and Kiryat Arba watch over the City of the Ancestors and the tombs of the founding fathers and mothers all year round. They maintain the connection and attachment to the most ancient roots of the people of Israel and work even in these trying times to connect with the people of Israel and strengthen the spiritual power that comes from the graves of the ancestors, with the expectation and belief that next year they will again be able to host tens of thousands, together with all the captives and abductees who will return to their homes for a normal life and peace, to ascend to Hebron and connect in a living, active, happy and creative connection, with the heritage of the fathers and mothers that grows from the depths of the roots the people of Israel in future generations.

 

For live stream, special prayer and other Chayei Sarah material click here: https://hebronfund.org/parsha-chayei-sarah/