Historical Document
Division of the area surrounding the tomb of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness after its liberation, including a partition map!
The tomb of the Tanna Rabbi Meir Baal Haness in Teveria is one of the most well-known burial sites of tzaddikim in the Jewish world.
Tens of thousands of Jews from around the world travel there to pray, pour out their hearts before the Creator, and seek salvation in the merit of the great sage.
At that time, the area of the tomb was under the ownership of Muslims, and the site itself was marked merely by large stones, without any shelter from the sun and rain.
Around the year 1865, the Muslims spread a terrifying rumor that they intended to plow over the site and turn it into farmland, heaven forbid. The Jews of Teveria were shocked, and in 1866, after immense efforts and at great financial cost, they succeeded in purchasing the land from its owners.
The present historical document, written in 1867, shortly after the acquisition, records the official division of the land among the Jewish communities of Teveria, outlining the rights and privileges granted to each community regarding the site.
On the left side of this large document there is a diagram depicting the layout of the tomb site, and the divisions of the boundaries belonging to each community according to what was established in the document.
Less than a month after this document was written, the Sephardic community began constructing a building over the tomb itself, as well as a synagogue and a guesthouse for visitors. See below an extraordinary miracle that occurred during the construction of the shelter for the holy site.
This historical document is not mentioned in ‘Sefer Teveria’, and to the best of Zaidy’s knowledge, it is being revealed here for the first time!
Teveria, the year of ‘הית”ה אור”ה’,
1867. Handwritten by a Sephardi scribe. Large folded paper document: 22.7 × 37.9 cm.
Condition: Good, with minor restorations in the margins (slight damage at the edge of the map).
Provenance: The Moses Collection.
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The Miraculous Event with the Columns of ‘Yachin and Boaz’ at the Tomb of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
Shortly after the writing of the present document, the Sephardic community began the reconstruction of the tomb site. During the construction, a wondrous and astonishing miracle occurred, as testified by the Rabbanim of Teveria in their letter dated 10th Adar I, 1867 (printed in HaMaggid, 13th Adar II, 1867, p. 92):
As they excavated at the tomb, they reached the actual gravestone and saw that above it lay a large mound of earth, atop which rested two enormous and particularly heavy pillars, resembling the biblical "Yachin and Boaz" (two pillars which stood on the porch of the first Beis Hamikdash). To remove the mound, nearly 50 men (!!) gathered, and using ropes and poles, they managed to move the two pillars from their place and immediately cleared away the mound.
When they attempted to restore the pillars onto the tombstone, it required even greater effort to lift them back over the grave. With immense exertion, they succeeded in restoring one of the pillars, but by the time they came to place the second pillar, night had already fallen, and they were distressed that they had not been able to return both pillars on the same day.
As they stood in their confusion and disappointment, "the pillar suddenly leapt and sprang from its place with great force and a mighty hand, falling upon its counterpart, joining together as one… They were found to be perfectly aligned just as they had originally been, in a way that even if they had been placed by hand, it would have been impossible to position them so precisely due to their immense weight…"
The account continues: "When they saw that the pillar had returned to its place upon its counterpart, joined together as one, they clapped their hands and danced like deer, rejoicing there with songs and celebration. And this wonder occurred before a public assembly of Israel… Blessed is the man who merited to witness this great sight…!"
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That same year, Pesach Sheini (14th Iyar) was designated as the day of the dedication ceremony for the reconstructed tomb, and a grand celebration was held (see Sdei Chemed, Vol. 4, Eretz Yisrael section 6). To this day, this date is marked as a day of hilula (celebration of the saint’s passing), with prayers, vows, and donations made for the elevation of the soul of the holy Tanna.
