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chapter37
Graves Of The Righteous
!!
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!hmuel said: I saw

and agreed to
S [fit]
write after all of
this [about] markers of the burial
places of the righteous, some of which
are well known. Some of them are not
visible to the eye and some of them are
visible to everyone.
Now I will write about the burial
places of the righteous according to
what I received from my teacher, may
he be remembered for life in the World-
to-Come. It has already been made
known to you that he was able to see
the souls of the righteous in any place
and at any time, and how much more
so while they were at their graves,
which is where their Nefeshos stand, as
it is known.
Even from a distance he could see
the Nefesh of a righteous person stand-

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Graves Of The Righteous | 589

ing on his burial place, and as a result he

was able to know the grave of each
righteous person. He used to speak
with them and from them he learned
many secrets of Torah. I had already
tested [his words] many times, thor-
oughly investigating them, and I found
what he said to be accurate and true.
Now is not [the time] to expand upon
this because they are awesome and
wondrous things, and the book could
not contain them.

!
!

Rebi Yehoshua the Tanna

In the city of Tzfas, it should be

rebuilt and reestablished, on the west
[side], there is a Jewish cemetery in
which there is a building with a high
round dome structure in the middle of
its roof, a kind of chamber. On the
north side of the building there is a
small hole that opens to the cave, and
in that cave people say that Hoshea
ben Beri [the prophet] is buried there.
That is not so, but Rebi Yehoshua the
Tanna is buried there. The people err
and call him Hoshea.

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Rebi Shimon, Son of Chalafta

Walking from Tzfas towards the

west side of the cemetery mentioned
above, there is a well called the Pit of

!!

590 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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Gevizo. There, a little further to the

west side Rebi Shimon ben Chalafta is
buried, but there is no sign.

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Rebi Chiya, Student Of The Rashbi

Walking from the village that is

called Lower Dehariah on the west side
of Tzfas, and descending to the river
where flour is ground, continue in this
direction until you reach the place from
which the river can already be seen
somewhat. Also in this place water be-
gins to descend from the mountain to
the river mentioned. To the left side of
this way there is a small road between
the rocks, and to the south of this road
there is a tall rock that looks like a sin-
gle wall. There Rebi Chiya, mentioned
in Idra Rabba [of Parashas] Naso is
buried.

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Rebi Nechunia, Son Of Hakaneh

Arriving below, [that is] descend-

ing [down the mountain] further along
this route a little further, you will find
on the east side of the way, a single
high rock straight upright. There, be-
low this rock itself Rebi Nechunia ben
HaKaneh is buried.

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Graves Of The Righteous | 591

Rebi Yitzchak, Student of the Rashbi

Opposite this rock, going straight

to the north side in the middle of the
mountain, there is a single large rock
with a large crack that divides the rock
into two. There Rebi Yitzchak Napcha,
mentioned in Idra Rabba in Parashas
Naso, is buried.1

Rebi Abba

Arriving at the bottom of the

mountain there is a battan [which is
a place] where they fix [and wash]
clothing. It is the largest battan on this
river. On the mountain, to the east of
the battan, at the top of the mountain
and opposite the battan, there is a
large excavation that goes into this
mountain. That is where Rebi Abba,
mentioned in Idra Rabba of Parashas
Naso is buried.

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Adino HaEtzani

Going from the village of Dehari-

ah mentioned in the west of Tzfas,
along the way that continues below
the cemetery, going north and continu-
ing until a spring of water called
1 Shmuel said: It is explained here that [Rebi Yitzchak, the student of the Rashbi] was not buried with the

Rashbi and his son Rebi Elazer in Meiron, as people say, that third place there [at the opening of the court-
yard] is Rebi Yitzchaks tomb.

!!

592 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

Carel, as will be explained below.

Along this way are many olive trees,
and arriving there begin to descend this
mountain to the origin of the stream of
water mentioned, where they grind
wheat. An excavation is there, because
it is a place where they quarry stones.
There is buried Adino HaEtzani.

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Rebi Chutzpis, The Translator

A little further away from this

[place] there is a quarry, and there Rebi
Chutzpis the Translator is buried.

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Yehoyda HaKohen

From there descend further be-

low, and in the middle of the descent
there is a large rock, the length of
which is close to 10 amos, as well as its
width. It is a single rock that lies and
leans on the ground, and below it is
hollow and separate from the ground
on the north side Yehoyada HaKohen is
buried there.

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Son Of Rav Safra

From the way mentioned above,

going from the [village of] Dehariah
mentioned to the [village of] Karel
mentioned, there is a single path used
to descend from Tzfas to the beginning

Graves Of The Righteous | 593

of the river where wheat is ground. De-

scend a little down this path, about a
third of the decline of the path and the
mountain, there is a single carob tree.
There is buried the son of Rav Safra,
mentioned in the Zohar in Parashas
Terumah.

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Yosi ben Yoezer, Yosi ben Meshulam, &

Yosi ben Yochanan

Further down this way to the east

side there is a single opening to a cave,
[the opening being] in the garden
[from] above. [After coming inside,] to
the west side of the cave below there is
what seems to be three cracks. There
inside are buried Yosi the son of Yoezer,
Yosi the son of Meshulam, and Yosi the
son of Yochanan, opposite the three
cracks.

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Rebi Kruspedai

To the east of Tzfas, it should be

rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our
days, as you go from Tzfas to the village
of Avnis, there are two very large
mountains. The path between them is
called Between the Mountains,2 and
at the middle of the length of this way
between the mountains, to the south

2 Bein Gibline is the Arabic of this.

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594 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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side of the way at the top of this moun-

tain, is where Rebi Kruspedai whose
heart was sweet, is buried, mentioned
at the end of Sefer HaTikunim, Tikun 70,
and in the Zohar in Parashas Shlach-
Lecha.

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Antigonos Ish Socho

Also, walking from Tzfas on the

path Bein Gibline mentioned above, on
the same mountain to the right side
above Hearat El Karat of the Arabs,
ascend from there and walk the entire
summit of this mountain from north to
south. There is something there like an
excavation under a rock to the right
side, and that is where Antigonus Ish
Socho is buried.

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Nasan DTzutzisa

Continue a little more to the

south side, and there is also an
excavation under the rock to the right
side. There is buried Nasan of Tzutzisa.

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Rebi Dosa, Son Of Harkinas

To the south of Tzfas, it should be

rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our
days, to the south of the tower there is
a spring called the New Spring. Close
to it is a cave called [in Arabic] Olad

Graves Of The Righteous | 595

Yaakov,3 and literally opposite the

spring to the north side is a nice build-
ing with nice houses. Everyone says
that Rebi Dosa, the son of Harkinas is
buried there. It is true and, there is no
other righteous person buried there
besides him.

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Rebi Binyomin Bar Yefes

From there continue towards the

south side, where there is a street
called El Meedan on which there is
an Arab prayer house. Below this
prayer house there is a valley to the
east of the fissure, and this street itself
is a large valley hewn between stones.
There Rebi Binyomin Bar Yefes is
buried.

!
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Binyomin HaTzaddik

From there continue further to

the south side. After passing through
the entire neighborhood of Arab
homes there is a very large place entire-
ly filled with tall [mounds of] small
stones. There is one mound higher
than the rest where there was a syna-
gogue that was very holy and ancient.
In the place of the sanctuary is buried
Binyomin HaTzaddik the Tanna.
3 Which means Children of Yaakov.

!!

596 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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Nachum Ish Gamzu

There, very close to it is a small

valley, and Nachum Ish Gamzu is buried
there. Know that the entire place of the
mounds was once a very large and holy
city.

!
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An Impure Place

To the north of Tzfas, it should be

rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our
days, as one walks from Tzfas to the
north side to the village of Ein Zeitun,
by way of a carob tree, is where Yeshu
the Christian is buried. There are two
paths there, and the one to the right
goes towards Ein Zeitun that was men-
tioned, and the second to the left goes
towards Hakarel that was mentioned
before.

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Rav Kruspedais Mother

Between these two paths there is

a large valley with olive trees. At the
northern end of this valley there is a
running stream that descends from a
pit called Gefar. Between Tzfas and
Ein Zeitun there is a bridge that is used
to cross over that stream, and this
stream flows down to the north side of
that valley mentioned. By the very last
olive tree of all of them is buried the

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Graves Of The Righteous | 597

mother of Rav Kruspedai the kind-

hearted, mentioned in the Zohar in
Parashas Shlach-Lecha.

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Rebi Noson The Babylonian

Walking from Tzfas northwards

to Gush Chalav there is a stream
called Karel. It seems to me that the
waters of Biriyah and Ein Zeitun de-
scend there into that stream. Along the
way towards Gush Chalav, a distance
from Karel of 400 amos to the north
side of this very way, there is a large
and long stone along the way that
leans to its left side. There underneath
it is buried Rebi Noson the Babylonian.

!
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Rebi Shimon, Son Of Menasyah

Continue from there to the west

side, and there on the mountain there
is a large place full of excavations.
There appears a quarry of stones be-
tween rocks, and that is where Rav
Shimon, the son of Menasyah, is
buried.

!
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Rav Yayvo The Elder

From there go north, veering

slightly to the west on an angle until
you reach a very deep stream between
two very high mountains. [With re-

!!

598 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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spect to] the origin of this stream, its

starting point is from a valley between
the mountains, which is near the village
of Kizmiya. In that valley there is a pit
that is called [in Arabic] Bir AlSheikh,
and there in the valley there is a fork in
the road, [leading either] to Meiron, to
Gush Chalav, and to Beerisah.
To the south of the pit mentioned
is the beginning of a dried up stream
without water, and it continues be-
tween two very tall and long moun-
tains. The end of this stream is at the
stream of Tzfas where they grind flour,
as mentioned earlier.
Going from the grave of Rav Shi-
mon Ben Menasyah to the north, veer
slightly on an angle to the west until
you reach the end of the mountain un-
der which is the deep stream that was
mentioned. There, above at the top of
the mountain is a rock that is level, and
by it is buried Rav Yayvo the Elder men-
tioned in the Zohar [in] Parashas Mish-
patim.

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Uriah HaKohen

At a distance from it of 200 cubits

from there to the east is buried Uriah
HaKohen.

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Graves Of The Righteous | 599

Rebi Yosi Of Pekiin

At this mountain [to the east of

the stream mentioned, at its origin to
its north, there at the height of the top
of the mountain] there is something
like a gathering of rocks in the shape of
an actual circle. In the middle of them
the Rashbi, ah, and his students
gathered to learn the holy book Sifra
DTzniusa of Parashas Terumah. At that
very place is buried Rebi Yossi of
Pekiin, mentioned in the Zohar in
Parashas Balak.

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Ben Hei Hei

On the way to Tzfas going to

Gush Chalav, in the middle of the way
from Karel to Bir AlSheikh, in the mid-
dle of the way to the east side, with the
vicinity of 10 amos or a little less, there
is a very small and shallow rock. There
is buried Ben Hei Hei.

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Rav Yochanan Ben Brokah

On the way mentioned after

passing Karel there is a single tall
mountain to the east side on the right.
In the direction of the mountain, as-
cending it and going to Ein Zeitun, as-
cend from there to the top of the
mountain, and at the top is buried Rebi

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600 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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Yochanan Ben Brokah.

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Rebi Yosi Of Yukras

Along the way mentioned, and

arriving at Bir AlSheikh, stand there
facing north and then you will see to
the left side a single marker, and there
is buried Rebi Yosi of Yukras.

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Rav Kruspedai the Amora

Going along the way that people

use to ascend to reach Kfar Kiyumia,
which is what people call it, on the right
side there is a high mountain. Ascend
the mountain 50 cubits or more and
there is a cave in line with it, opposite
the marking of Rebi Yosi of Yukras. The
cave has two openings, a small opening
to its west [side] and one opening on
top of the cave. Enter the one on the
top. Enter the opening on the roof, and
there in the cave is buried Rebi
Kruspedai the Amora. My master, zl,
told me that Rebi Kruspedai was great
to the level of the Tannaim.4 Buried
with him are two other righteous peo-
ple whose names I dont know.

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4 Even though this Rebi Kruspedai was from the time of the Amoraim and the Talmud, a less authoritative peri-

od of Torah history than that of the Tannaim, that is, of the time of the Mishnah, his personal greatness was of
that of the latter period.

Graves Of The Righteous | 601

Rebi Yosi Son Of Yaakov

Along the way mentioned, near

the valley in which is Bir Al Shich,
there is a split in the road that goes to
the north. The one on the right side
leads to the east of that mountain,
where Kfar Birisa is situated. The left
one ascends to Gush Chalav.
Along the right path, upon reach-
ing the place between the two moun-
tains, one mountain on the right, and
one mountain of Kfar Birisa to the left,
count a distance from there of 100
amos, and you will find one small plain
in which there are olive trees, about 20
trees.
There is a deep excavation there
the length of the way created by rain-
water that descends that way during
the winter. At the beginning of the way
to the right side of the excavation. Af-
ter that the path veers and crosses the
middle of the excavation, and in the
actual place where the path veers as
mention there is a single olive tree, and
at its root there is [something] like a
stone ledge.
Opposite the tree to the east is a
rock in which there are two excava-
tions and also cracks. In the crack to the
north of this stone is where Yosi the
son of Yaakov is buried, who died dur-
ing the time of the Idra Rabba of

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602 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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[Parashas] Naso as mentioned there.5

In that field is the place where
[Rebi Shimon bar Yochai and his stu-
dents] gathered together to compose
the Idra. Rebi Shimon Bar Yochai, ah,
sat in the northern excavation where
Rebi Yosi, mentioned, is buried. In the
southern excavation is where Rebi
Abba sat, and at the place of the tree
mentioned earlier is where Rebi Elazar
sat.

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Elkanah, Father of Shmuel &

Rebi Benaa Amora

On this path mentioned near Bir

AlSheikh to the north side there is a
very high mountain that separates be-
tween the two mentioned paths. As-
cend from this path at the middle of
this mountain upwards the area of its
top where there are many rocks. There
amongst these many rocks is a depres-
sion and something like a cave en-
trance. Descend there and you will find
a wide place below that is like a single
cave. Buried there is Elkanah the father
of the prophet Shmuel [HaNavi], ah,
as well as Rebi Benaa the Amora.6
In the village of Biriyah there is a
cave in which people say that Abba
Shaul is buried. My teacher, zl, did not

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5 He died from the ecstasy of learning the secrets of Kabbalah.

6 Shmuel says: It is also not as people say, that Elkanah is buried with his son Shmuel in his town of Rama.

Graves Of The Righteous | 603

agree with this and he said that it is a

certain righteous person, but did not
tell me his name.

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Benyahu Ben Yehoyada

Going from the village of Biriyah

to the north side towards the village of
Avnit there is a place where many trees
and roses are planted called Al
Rayash. At the beginning of this way,
after leaving the spring of Biriyah at a
distance of about 400 amos to the left
of the way, you will find a decline that is
steep, deep, and narrow between
these two mountains. There is buried
Benayahu Ben Yehoyada.

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Abaye, Rava & Rav Dimi From Nehardea

In the village of Avnit there is a

cave in which are buried Abaye and
Rava. The opening is to the west side
and inside there are many alcoves. In
the actual alcove in the southeastern
corner is where Abaye is buried. In the
alcove close to him on the south side is
buried Rav Dimi from Nehardea. In the
alcove close to him also on the south is
an alcove that is wider than the alcove
of Rav Dimi mentioned, and this is
where Rava is buried, in the middle al-
cove of the southern wall. Regarding
the rest of the alcoves, he did not tell

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604 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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me what they were.

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Nechemiah HaAmasuni

To the west of Tzfas, it should be

rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our
days, in the village of Cansfardy there is
a cave in which people say is buried
Nachum Ish Gamzu. This is not so,
rather Nechemiah HaAmsuni [is buried
there], and the people are mistaken.7

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Rebi Shimon bar Yochai &

Rebi Elazar His Son

In the village of Meiron is buried

Rebi Shimon Bar Yochai, ah, and Rebi
Elazar is son, as people say.

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Rebi Yehudah, Son of Rebi Iloy

North of Tzfas, it should be rebuilt

and reestablished speedily in our days, in
the village of Ein Zeitun there is a mon-
ument where Rebi Yehudah, son of
Rebi Iloy is buried, as people say. He is
buried in the northwestern corner of
this monument.

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Rebi Iloy

Below in the cave underneath the

monument, on the north side of this
7 Shmuel says: We have previously mentioned that Nachum Ish Gamzu is buried near Binyomin HaTzaddik.

Graves Of The Righteous | 605

first monument, at its beginning there

is a cave, and people say that Rebi Iloy,
the father of Rebi Yehudah mentioned,
is buried there, and this is true. He is
buried in the second alcove on the east
side, close to the southeastern corner.

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Rebi Nehurai The Elder

Going from the village of Ein

Zeitun towards the village of Almah,
near the cave of Rebi Iloy until a spring
called Ein Al Tinni, to the right of the
way there is a very high mountain. In
the middle up the incline of the moun-
tain there is a rock, and that is where
Rebi Nehurai the Elder is buried, who is
mentioned in the Zohar in Parashas Tet-
zaveh.

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Rebi Yonason, Son Of Harkinas &

Rebi Yitzchak, Son Of Elyashiv

Going from Ein Zeitun to the vil-

lage of Gavraiyitin there is a large
mountain. Descending it to the men-
tioned village itself, in the middle of the
way of this mountain are buried, to-
gether in one grave, Yonasan, the son
of Harkinas and Rebi Yitzchak, the son
of Elyashiv.

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606 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

Yoel HaNavi

Going from the village of Gush

Chalav to the north in a valley there,
walk 500 amos. There in the valley is
buried Yoel Ben Pesuel [the prophet].

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Rebi Yannai

To the south of Tzfas, it should be

rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our
days, in the village of Achbara, there is a
cave amongst the orchards. Flowing
from its opening is a spring that irri-
gates the orchards and whose opening
is very narrow. Enter the cave and on
the east side is the grave of Rav Yannai
only, and not as it is written in the
Book of Lineage, that Rav Dostai and
Rav Nehorai are also buried there.

Rebi Zerika, Rav Samma, Oshia The

Young From Chavrei, Mar Ukva & Rebi
Levitus

In the village of Chukav to its

south there is a large mountain that has
been hewn straight like a wall. There is
something like a large cave hewn in a
rock opposite the village, and from
there you can ascend to other excava-
tions in this rock very close and next to
this cave. In these places, that is in the
cave and in the excavations mentioned,
Rav Zerika, Rav Sama, and Oshaya,

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Graves Of The Righteous | 607

the youngest of the group from

Chavrei are buried together. Mar Ukva
[is buried] alone in one place, and Rav
Levitas, the person from Yavneh is
buried alone in one place.

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Admon & Akavia, Son of Mehalelel

In the plain of the top of the

mountain mentioned there is a path
used to go from the village of Ukvi.
There, at the end of the area of the
mountain above to the west side, there
is something like an impression and
excavation between the rocks like a
crevice. There is buried Admon of the
chapter [in Tractate Kesuvos] Two
Judges Of Decrees. Also there and
very close is another crevice where
Akavya Ben Mehallalel is buried.
In Tiberias, in the city itself, there
is, at its end to the south side at the sea
shore, a large Jewish synagogue, but
not in the place of the southern wall in
which the sanctuary is now located. It is
in the middle of the length of the syna-
gogue in the second vault. In the cor-
ner in the west side is where my
teacher, zl, established his place of
prayer when he was there, because it
has amazing holiness.

!!

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608 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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Rebi Yitzchak Nafcha the Amora

Outside of Tiberias, opposite the

northern wall but close to it, there is
something like two or three alcoves
there. They say that they are graves of
righteous people, but I do not recall
what people say. It seems to me in my
humble opinion that they say that Rebi
Yitzchak Nafcha is one of them. My
teacher, zl agreed that they are the
graves of righteous people, and it
seems to me in my humble opinion that
he told me that it is as people say.

!
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Rebi Yochanan ben Zakkai

Continue further from there in

the field to the west side of the wall, on
a bit of an angle to the south side.
There is a courtyard there surrounded
by walls, and inside there are many
monuments and coffins. In the alcove
close to the entrance of the courtyard
Rebi Yochanan Ben Zakkai is buried.

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Rambam & His Father

Continue further from there to

the west side of the courtyard and
there is a monument there. That is
where the Rambam is buried with his
father, zl, as people say.

Graves Of The Righteous | 609

Rebi Yochanan Amora & Rav Chananel

A short distance to the west side

there is something like a very small
courtyard, where they say that Rebi
Yochanan the Amora is buried, and an-
other whom I forgot. My teacher, zl,
told me that that one is Rav Chananel,
the student of Rav, and the second is
another righteous person whom I for-
got. It seems to me, in my humble opin-
ion that it is Rav Berona.8

Rebi Chiya & Sons, Rav Hamnuna The

Elder & Rav Huna the Exilarch

After that go a little to the north

side and then veer to the west side
where they bury the dead of Tiberias,
and there is a vestibule built with three
walls which the world calls the Cave of
Rebi Chiya and His Sons. Know that in
the windows that are in the northern
wall are buried Rebi Chiya and Yehudah
and Chizkiah his sons, as well as Rav
Hamnuna the Elder, always mentioned
in the Zohar, and Rav Huna the Exilarch
from the time of Rabbeinu HaKadosh.9
They brought his10 coffin to the cave of
Rebi Chiyah, as mentioned in the Tal-

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8 The Hebrew text says Rav Kehana, but the Matok Midvash amends it, based upon the handwritten man-

uscript, to say Rav Berona, who was also a student of Rav.

9 Rebi Yehudah HaNasi.
10 Rav Huna.

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610 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

mud.11

!
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Rebi Akiva

Go from there up the slope of the

mountain to the west side, and angle a
lot to the south, and there in a cave is
Rebi Akiva. Chazal have already men-
tioned that when Eliyahu HaNavi, zl,
and Rebi Yehoshua the Garsi entered
the cave, an inner cave opened for
them and they buried him. When they
left it closed up and nothing remained
except for this outer cave into which
the people go. The true place that lines
up and corresponds to his grave inside
this inner cave whose opening closed
up, the opening of this cave being in
the east, is in the southwestern corner.
It is the actual corner that lines up with
and corresponds to his grave inside the
inner cave whose opening closed up.

Rebi Meir, Rebi Yirmiya &

Rav Kahana

To the south of Tiberias, walking

to the baths of hot water, there are
some graves of righteous people that
are distant from each other and they
are not in one place. They have already
been mentioned in the The Book of

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11 Moed Katan 25a.

Graves Of The Righteous | 611

Lineage [of righteous people], and

they are Rebi Meir and Rebi Yirmiyah
whom they expelled from the Study
Hall for asking the strange question
mentioned earlier.12 He is the one
[meant when it says,] Rebi Yirmiyah
asked in the Talmud.
There are three other righteous
people but I do not remember their
names. It is as mentioned in The Book
of Lineage [of righteous people], and
as people say.
It seems to me, in my humble
opinion, because my teacher, zl, ad-
mitted to me regarding Rebi Meir, that
he was buried in standing position, as
people say.

!
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The Well Of Miriam

Walking by the sea of Tiberias to

the hot springs of Tiberias, literally in
the middle of the way, in the place
where there are many palm trees by
the shore of the sea, in line with and
corresponding to a tower on the top of
the mountain, is the Well of Miriam.
On the east [side] of the sea of
Tiberias there is a village whose name is
Kfar Tanchum. They say that buried
there is Nachum HaAlkoshi, and it
seems to me, in my humble opinion,
12 See Chapter 36.

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612 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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that my teacher, zl, agreed with this.

Until here [has been a discussion
regarding the] markers of the graves of
the righteous. Their merits should pro-
tect us. Amen, and thus it should be His
will.

!
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Two. Types of Herbs

These are a few herbs about

which I learned from my teacher, zl,
even though he did not explain details
of the matter, only in general.
Dudaim Herb: They are, according
to the language of the Targum,13 man-
drakes, and in the Arabic language they
are also mandrakes, and they produce
fruits called Wild Apples. Their at-
tachment is Above to the revolving
flaming sword, and thus they are
called Wild Apples, and therefore
cause insanity to the person who eats
them, as it is known.
Their remedy comes from wrap-
ping them in deer parchment and
hanging them from the neck of a per-
son. They work if someone raises a
sword against the person who is wear-
ing them, to turn the sword on the per-
son [himself] and to kill its master. Also
when the peels of these apples are
dried and ground to a fine powder,

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13 Targum Onkeles, Bereishis 30:14.

Graves Of The Righteous | 613

they help as an ointment to strengthen

weak eyes.
There is a herb called Totomilio
that when cut produces [something
like] milk that helps to confine quick
silver. Its head needs to have five buds,
and each bud five seeds. They must be
collected at a known time which I did
not receive from him.14
The herb called Moshketilia, in
Arabic Achlil Dehav, has seeds that
are like three or four needles in its
head. They are long, the length of half a
finger or more, and its smell is like
myrrh. They are good for alchemy of
[turning substances into] gold, and for
anointing pigmentations with its juice.
There is another kind of herb
whose leaves are like lentil leaves, and
the flower [is a shade of] violet, and the
flowers themselves are like the flowers
of lentils. There is [a kind] whose flower
is a shade of yellow. The type of herb
mentioned, when mixed with a finger
with a little olive oil and vinegar, helps
when smeared on the legs, thighs, and
hands that are cracked. The cracks are
a kind of eczema and itch. Smear it in
the evening and morning a few times.
There is a herb whose leaves are
long and very wide, like leaves of let-
tuce and more so. Their length is about
14 The Arizal.

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614 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM

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two half amos fingers. In the middle

where leaves come out a very long high
reed, more than one and a half amos,
comes out as well, and in the reed the
seed grows. This entire reed sprouts
something like cotton literally, though
it is not white like it. Its juice helps
someone by drinking it when he has a
problem of excessive urination and is
unable to contain himself, urinating
constantly.
There is a herb that is short, and
its reed of seeds is short, and the entire
thing is like many small cups stuck to
each other around the reed. Its juice
helps weak eyes, and it also helps good
[eyes] to see better.
There is a herb that is the height
of a small finger, and when its seed
goes out, it goes out like a single stalk.
Going out from this [side] and from this
[side] are small leaves [that grow] like
thin mustard herb. The flower is actual-
ly like the flower of the mustard, and its
shade is yellow like the flower of the
mustard. It is also good for the eyes.
There is a herb whose leaves are a
little like those of the onion, except
that they short like the size of a half
amah. It only grows between hard and
high rocks. That which grows in the
rock itself is not good, but that which
grows above the rock is good. It helps
to brighten darkened eyes that do not

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Graves Of The Righteous | 615

see well. This is the matter [regarding

usage]. Make from it a confection with
a nut that has only three-sides,15 10 dark
raisins, bee honey, and eat it every
morning after fasting.
There is a herb whose leaves are
very wide below in the place that they
are attached to the stalk, and become
slightly smaller at their top and their
shape is literally the shape of the Red
Kadro, and it helps for leprosy.
There is a small herb and its root
is like small onions the size of olives. At
its top there is flower [whose shade] is
yellow like the white of an egg and
wax.16 If a confection is made with bee
honey it brightens the eyes.
This is all that I learned regarding
the species of herbs from my master,
may he be remembered for life in the
World-to-Come.17

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15 For example, a Brazilian nut.

16 Matok Midvash.
17 Shmuel said: Until this point the Almighty, may He be blessed, has helped me to complete the book of the

great rabbi, my father and master, may he be remembered for life in the World-to-Come. Nothing is missing,
from small to large, edited as if the hand of God was upon me. After that I also found in sacks manuscripts in
the handwriting of my father and master, zl, about things that to do with the root of his soul, commanded by
the great rabbi and provider, [the Ari] zl. It seemed to me that my father and master, zl, chose to hide them
because of his great humility, to not reveal the root of his soul to the public. I became concerned lest this col-
lection become forgotten [sheaves], and therefore I concluded in my heart to go against his wishes, and
desired to write them in a book and engrave them so that they should remain for a long time. I rely on the
humility and piety of the great master [that he will forgive me], and I am not concerned that this is a sin, God
forbid, for great is a sin with good intentions. From the Almighty, may He be blessed, I asked forgiveness for all
my sins and that He should overlook all my transgressions, that He should be with my mouth so it should speak
properly, as it says It should be His will that the words of my mouth, etc. He should be the Rock and My Re-
deemer.

!!

616 | SHAAR HAGILGULIM