Someone once told me, “Coming to Israel and not seeing Rachel’s grave is like coming home and not seeing your mother.” After visiting my mother, my matriarch, Rachel, I found this statement to ring true. 

Rachel was the wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin  (see Genesis chapters 29-35). She is regarded as a “mother” of Israel – a woman of virtue and valor.

A little while ago, we traveled together on a bullet-proof bus (this is the law when you travel to any of the potentially dangerous areas). As we neared the city of Bethlehem we noticed tall, steel, walls on either side of the bus creating a very narrow street to the grave-site. When I got off of the bus, I noticed a tall guard post filled with Israeli soldiers guarding this small area controlled by Israel to protect  this sacred Jewish site. 

Inside of the gorgeous marble building was a grave fit for a king (or a queen); it was a grave like those of the righteous men buried in Tzfat, Israel’s second holiest city for Jews, which I had seen earlier in the year. Only Rachel’s grave was a bit bigger and the grave has its own enclosing building. Rachel’s grave is partitioned by a wall, separating the men from the women. Many pray and recite special psalms and personal prayers on both sides - some just observe. Tears were streaming down some of the women’s faces; others were concentrating so intently on their prayers that I don’t think they would’ve budged if there had been an earthquake. The feeling I got when I saw her grave, united  with every women there visiting our ancient “mother,” was truly a feeling of returning home.