The tomb of Rabbi Ashi, a key editor of the Talmud and one of the greatest Jewish sages of the Gemara era, has become a popular destination for a group within the Breslov Hasidic movement that visits the graves of revered rabbis in Israel and abroad. The group's actions have occasionally led to security incidents.
Ynet reported on Sunday that at least 20 Breslov Hasidic Jews crossed the Israeli border into Lebanon overnight near the tomb site, entering the country during a cease-fire. They were later returned to Israel and some were detained for questioning.
Hasidic Jews at Rabbi Ashi's tomb
(Video: Pergola)
The group entered Rabbi Ashi’s tomb on Mount Sanan, which is partly in Israeli territory and partly in Lebanon. Until Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the entire site was within Israeli borders.
However, after disputes over the exact boundary, UN envoy Terje Larsen's proposal led to the border running through the site. Due to its proximity to the border, even the Israeli-controlled section of the tomb is designated a closed military zone.
The same group has previously visited Joseph’s Tomb in the West Bank’s Nablus, where entry is allowed only every few weeks under military escort. “We won’t leave Joseph alone,” said Nahman, a member of the group. “We refuse to visit just once a month with the military — we want to come in a dignified manner.”
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In December 2024, gunfire was opened at the sect members who entered Joseph’s Tomb without coordination, injuring three people. The most serious incident occurred in April 2011, when a Hasidic Jew named Ben Yosef Livnat was killed after entering the site to pray.
They also visit other graves, including the site they believe is the tomb of Joshua bin Nun in the Palestinian West Bank village of Kifl Haris in the West Bank and the tomb of Caleb in the same village near Ariel.
In recent years, sect embers organized trips to Morocco, where several were killed in a car accident while traveling to the tomb of Rabbi Makhlouf ben Yosef in Tizguilal a few months ago.
Rabbi Ashi, whose tomb the group wished to visit, was an Amora — a sage of the Gemara period — and one of the editors of the Babylonian Talmud. According to Jewish tradition, the tomb also holds the remains of the Amora Rabbi Pappa and his sons.
Hasidic Jews in the Breslovsect believe there are additional revered rabbis’ tombs in Egypt, other Arab countries and Iran, where access is currently impossible. Hasidic teachings stress the spiritual benefits of praying near the graves of righteous figures.