If you’ve ever been to a Jewish cemetery, you may have noticed stones placed on graves or in front of burial niches or crypts. The practice of placing stones on graves is an ancient Jewish tradition that comforts mourners and honors the dead.
Historical and Cultural Context
Jewish people leave small and large stones on the graves of their loved ones when visiting the burial site. While this may seem a harsh practice compared to leaving flowers at gravesites, for Jews, it is a symbol of love and honor. While its origins and initial meaning are unknown, the practice goes back thousands of years.
There may be a connection between the stones placed and historical burial traditions. In the past, large stones would be placed on the gravesite to prevent wild animals from damaging it. After the burial, the deceased’s family members would return to the grave and add more stones to ensure the site was secure and as a gesture to honor the memory of the deceased.
Another historical interpretation from the First Temple period (1200-586 BC) theorizes that the stones were placed to inform Jewish priests (kohanim) that the place was a burial site. According to Jewish tradition, priests would become impure if they came within four feet of a dead body.
Today, the tradition of leaving stones on a grave symbolizes showing respect to the deceased and serving as an indicator that someone has visited the gravesite.
Symbolic Meaning of Stones on Graves
Placing stones on graves has a significant symbolic meaning. A person visiting a grave shows they remember and commemorate the deceased by leaving stones on their grave.
Several symbolic interpretations exist when it comes to this practice. The Talmud texts mention that following a person’s death, their soul dwells in the grave after the burial. Placings stones would keep the soul down in this world, which some people may find comforting. Other interpretations refer to the protective properties of stones that keep golems and demons away from the grave. Finally, Torah scriptures often use stones as a metaphor for God.
Contemporary Significance
Modern-day Jews keep the stone tradition alive. If you walk past a Jewish cemetery, you’ll notice small pebbles or even large stones piled on top of or beside grave or burial markers. Leaving stones brings comfort to people who lost their loved ones. The practice is also a meaningful way to connect with the Jewish community and heritage both in the Holy Land and diaspora.
The Hollywood Forever cemetery offers burial services and commemoration for the Los Angeles Jewish community at Beth Olam Jewish Cemetery. Visit the official page to learn more about the services in one of California’s oldest and most historic Jewish cemeteries.
FAQs
Small stones are placed by people who visit Jewish graves in an act of remembrance or respect for the deceased. The practice is a way of participating in the mitzvah of burial. It is customary to place the stone with the left hand.
What does leaving a stone on a grave mean? ›
If you've ever been to a Jewish cemetery, you may have noticed stones placed on graves or in front of burial niches or crypts. The practice of placing stones on graves is an ancient Jewish tradition that comforts mourners and honors the dead.
What is the Jewish tradition on graves? ›
During 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.
Is Hollywood Forever a Jewish cemetery? ›
The park offers lawn spaces, cremation niches, and mausoleum crypts. The Beth Olam section — one of the oldest, active Jewish cemeteries in California — offers traditional Jewish burial. Whatever your tradition, faith, culture, or affiliation, we will work with you to create a thoughtful and meaningful ceremony.
Why do Jews wash their hands when leaving a cemetery? ›
The custom of washing hands on leaving a cemetery carries that same thought, and is a personal act by which the person attending the grounds marks the transition from departing the place of death to entering that of life; it is also an attempt mentally to leave behind the realm of the past and re-embrace the present.
Why do Jews wait a year to put a headstone on a grave? ›
Typically, according to Jewish tradition, an unveiling takes place during the first year from when death occurred. This is advantageous for many reasons, including giving the soil time to set and family a period to mourn before moving forward.
Why are headstones at the feet? ›
Footstone grave markers identify the lower boundary of the gravesite, the way the headstone marks the upper border. This helps visitors avoid walking across the grave, which is deemed disrespectful or bad luck.
What does a black tombstone mean? ›
For example, white is a traditional color for headstones and is often associated with purity and innocence, while black can represent mourning and grief. Other colors, such as pink, green, and blue, can be used to represent personal preferences, favorite colors, or to reflect a specific theme or style.
Why do Jews not put flowers on graves? ›
Flowers represent the impermanence of life—they are born, they blossom, they wither and die. Stones, on the other hand, signify the perpetual existence of the soul, as well as our enduring memory of the departed.
Why do Jews bury the dead within 24 hours? ›
Traditionally a Jewish burial is supposed to take place within 24 hours of death. This is done in accordance with the Torah, sacred Jewish scripture, which says, "You shall bury him the same day.... His body should not remain all night." Today, outside of Orthodox communities, funerals rarely occur this quickly.
While the Jewish community might still be divided over tattoos, the prohibition against burying a tattooed person in a Jewish cemetery is a myth. Caring for the body after death is also a mitzvah, and we don't exclude people in our communities from that care simply because of markings on the skin.
Can Jews be cremated? ›
Jewish law mandates that human remains be buried after death, and this has been dominant Jewish practice for millennia. through the later rabbinic authorities attest to this requirement, and there is a powerful taboo against cremation reinforced by the millions of Jews burned in Nazi crematoria during the Holocaust.
How much does it cost to be buried at Hollywood Cemetery? ›
Most cemetery sections require a concrete outer burial container. Interment, inurnment and entombment services are priced based on the type and location of burial property and the day, date and time of the service. Prices start at $735 for an inurnment, $1,160 for an entombment and $1,365 for in ground burial.
Who is the most famous person in Hollywood Cemetery? ›
President James Monroe was originally interred in Marble Cemetery in New York City when he died in 1831. Virginia petitioned to have his remains reinterred to Hollywood Cemetery. The Gothic Revival James Monroe Tomb monument designed by Albert Lybrock resembles a bird cage surrounding a simple granite sarcophagus.
What is the oldest grave in Hollywood Cemetery? ›
The first person buried in Hollywood was Frederick William Emrich. He was born on January 23, 1848, and died at the age of about eighteen months on June 30, 1849.
Why do Americans put stones on graves? ›
The simple act of leaving a stone signifies that someone has visited the grave, paying respects to the departed. This tradition is particularly meaningful in cultures where the visitation of graves is a common practice.
What are the stones on graves called? ›
gravestone - a stone grave marker; more loosely, any grave marker. syn. tombstone. comp. memorial; monument.
Why do Muslims put rocks on graves? ›
Gravesites are expected to be plain. Notable rulers, royalty, and esteemed religious figures are often buried in graves as simple as Mohammad's, covered in pebbles and capped by unadorned stone markers. The Hadith allows graves to be raised or otherwise marked only when this is necessary for identifying them.
