I have long found the cemetery to be a peaceful place. That could sound morbid to some, but the cemetery is often a place where I feel grounded and at peace. It might be because the cemetery in Michigan where my family members are buried is beautiful and peaceful. But in general, I’ve found cemeteries to offer a similar feeling of sacred connection to the earth and to the stories they tell. 

When you walk through a cemetery, you’re likely to see the story of a community. Family trees drawn by names and dates on the gravestones. Stones that imply a permanence of the life story, that our loved ones existed and their stories will be remembered because there is a lasting marker of their lives. Stone is changed by water and wind, but remains nonetheless.  

Our Torah portion this week, Parshat Vayishlach, is marked by the death of Rachel after the birth of Benjamin. “Over her grave Jacob set up a pillar; it is the pillar at Rachel’s grave to this day.” This verse is the core text for the Jewish custom to mark the grave with a monument. As the Torah stands strong throughout the test of time, so too the honoring of a life will be remembered by the placing of a headstone or marker.

Interestingly, for all of the occasions for blessings we have, there is no traditional blessing recited at an unveiling. Instead, the rabbis remind us of the blessing of life, the blessings we have when we come together, when we preserve memory, and when we tell our stories.  

– Rabbi Eve Posen

Source: Pillar of Memory