The Tomb of Rachel
The Tomb of Rachel Between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, on the way to Bethlehem, one of the most interesting spots is that made sacred by an incident from the Old Testament . When Jacob was on his return from Padan-Aram with his flocks and family his beloved Rachel, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, died and “was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.” This is an almost undisputed site. Jews, Moslems and Christ ians all agree that here Rachel was entombed. The pillar Jacob set up has long since disappeared, but some mark has marked the spot for thirty-six hundred years. The present square structure, surmounted by a central dome, is modern. It measures twenty-three feet on each side. The height of the wall is twenty feet and the dome is ten feet high. The eastern chamber is twenty-three feet long by thirteen feet broad. The inner chambers are used by the Jews, who meet here ever...