Remembrance…

We Jews, have this thing about visiting cemeteries and graves. We consider it a sacred duty to do so. We put a little rock or a pebble on the grave or the headstone as a reminder that someone was there.

Whenever I go to the local Museum of Nature of Science — and I try to visit not only the local one, but also ones when we visit other cities — I often visit the gift shop where they have interesting assorted, colorful stones for sale. I get a little baggie full of them. This way, when I visit graves, I put colorful, exotic rocks on the headstones.

One of the reasons, according to My Jewish Learning website, for putting stones on graves, comes from the times of the Temple in Jerusalem. Jewish priests, (kohanim) became ritually impure if they came within four feet of a corpse. As a result, Jews began marking graves with piles of rocks in order to indicate to passing kohanim that they should stay back.

Another site suggests that stones might keep demons and golems from getting into the graves, which, in my humble opinion, is always a good idea. I mean, flowers die but a rock will always remain.

Also, a placed pebble simply tells others that this grave was visited. Both loved ones who visit, and strangers, will know that this person was remembered. Is there a higher form of respect — to be remembered, to be loved even after death? It is a comfort to…