Ohel (Hebrew: אוהל; plural: ohelim, literally, "tent")[1][2] is a structure built around a Jewish grave as a sign of prominence of the deceased. Ohelim cover the graves of some (but not all) HasidicRebbes, important rabbis, tzadikim, prominent Jewish community leaders, and biblical figures. Typically a small masonry building, an ohel may include room for visitors to pray, meditate, and light candles in honor of the deceased.
Source
According to Krajewska, the tradition of covering a grave with an ohel may be based on the Cave of the Patriarchs, in which Abraham buried Sarah.[2] Nolan Menachemson suggests that the Hasidic tradition of covering the graves of Rebbes with an ohel derives from the Ohel Moed ("Tent of Meeting") in which Moses communicated with God during the Israelites' travels in the desert.[3]
Construction
Ohelim are usually simple masonry structures. They may include one or two windows.[2] In prewar Poland, the ohel of a Rebbe was located close by the Hasidic court, and was big enough to accommodate a minyan of ten men beside the grave.[4]
In the case of a Hasidic Rebbe, the ohel is a place for visitors to pray, meditate, write kvitelach (petitionary prayer notes), and light candles in honor of the deceased.[6][7][8]Ohelim of Hasidic Rebbes, as well as the tombs of tzadikim venerated by Moroccan Jews, serve as year-round pilgrimage sites, with the biggest influx of visitors coming on the Rebbe's or tzadik's Yom Hillula (anniversary of death).[9][10]
Notable ohelim
One or more graves may be included in the same ohel. Notable ohelim include:
^Shokeid, Moshe (2016). "Pilgrimage: Contemporary Jewish Pilgrimage". Encyclopedia of Religion. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
Sources
Biale, David; Assaf, David; Brown, Benjamin; Gellman, Uriel; Heilman, Samuel; Rosman, Moshe; Green, Arthur; Sagiv, Gadi; Wodziński, Marcin; et al. (2017). Hasidim: A New History. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1400889198.
Kadish, Sharman (2006). Jewish Heritage in England: An Architectural Guide. English Heritage. ISBN 190562428X.
Krajewska, Monika (1993). A Tribe of Stones: Jewish Cemeteries in Poland. Polish Scientific Publishers. ISBN 978-8301112318.
Menachemson, Nolan (2007). A Practical Guide to Jewish Cemeteries. Avotaynu. ISBN 978-1886223295.
Miller, Chaim (2014). Turning Judaism Outward: A Biography of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe. Kol Menachem. ISBN 978-1934152362.
Rabinowicz, Tzvi (1996). The Encyclopedia of Hasidism. Jason Aronson. ISBN 1568211236.
Steinmetz, Sol (2005). Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0742543870.