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Graves of the Righteous
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the Arizal, is easily the greatest Kabbalist since Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (the author of the Zohar). From him comes the system named after him, Lurianic Kabbalah. The Arizal’s foremost disciple Rabbi Chaim Vital recorded and edited his teachings, including in the book, Sha’ar HaGilgulim. In chapter 37 of this book, Yeshua is listed amongst the Prophet Nahum, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai, Rabbi Yehuda Bar Elai, Rabbi Yehoshua, the Rambam, and over sixty others as righteous souls with whom the Arizal would speak and “learn many secrets of the Torah from.”
“Shmuel said: I saw and agreed to write after all this, a marking of the places of the graves of the righteous, some of which are famous, and some have not been seen by any eye, and some of those mentioned have become known to all:
And now I will write the places of the graves of the righteous, according to what I received from my teacher [the Arizal], of blessed memory. I have already informed you that he used to see and observe the souls of the righteous, in every place and at every time, especially when he was at their graves, where their spirits are known to stand. Even from afar, his eyes would see the soul of the righteous standing by its grave, and by this, he knew the grave of each and every righteous person. He would speak with them and learn many secrets of the Torah from them. I have already tested and investigated thoroughly many times, and I found his words to be honest and true. There is no need to elaborate on this now, for these are awe-inspiring and wondrous things that no book can fully encompass. In the country of Safed, may it be built and established, in the west, there is a Jewish cemetery. Within it, there is a house with a domed structure in the middle of its roof resembling a dome. To the north of that house, there is a small opening leading to a cave. People say that the prophet Hosea, son of Beeri, is buried there, but this is not correct. Actually, Rabbi Yehoshua the Tanna is buried there, and the people made a mistake and called him Hosea…. Nearby, there is a small valley where Nahum Ish Gamzu is buried. Know that this entire area of mounds was once a very large and holy city. To the north of Safed, when you go from Safed to the north towards the village of Ein Zeitun, there is a path by a carob tree, where Jesus of Nazareth is buried. There are two paths there: the right one leads to the mentioned Ein Zeitun, and the left one leads to the mentioned cemetery. In the middle of these two paths, there is a large valley of olive trees. At the northern end of this valley, there is a flowing stream, which comes from a well called Gafar between Safed and Ein Zeitun. There is a bridge there, over which the stream passes. This stream continues and flows to the north side of the mentioned valley. At the last olive tree, there is the burial place of the mother of Rabbi Kruspadai Chamid Leba, mentioned in the Zohar in the section on Shelach Lecha… To the east of the Sea of Tiberias, there is one village named Tanchum Village. They say that [the Prophet] Nahum the Elkoshite is buried there. And it was testified to me by my teacher of blessed memory about this. Until here, may the merit of the graves of the righteous protect us. Amen, may it be His will.”
-Rabbi Chaim Vital, Sha’ar HaGilgulim 37:2-4, 18-19, 55-56
Far more surprising than the fact that Rabbi Chaim Vital thought that Yeshua’s burial was north of Safed is the fact that Yeshua is included as a righteous soul with whom the Arizal would speak, “learn many secrets of the Torah from,” and whose merit protects us.
Perhaps since the Arizal “used to see and observe the souls of the righteous, in every place and at every time, especially when he was at their graves,” it was assumed (albeit incorrectly) that Yeshua was buried in the place in which he would regularly speak with the Arizal, “by a carob tree.” This could also explain why there are other differences of opinion as to where some of these righteous were actually buried, such as the Prophet Nahum. The carob tree, besides the other landmarks, holds special significance in Judaism, including in the stories of Honi HaMe’agel (the Circle-Maker) and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
The chapter number, ’37,’ is the Gematria of ‘Yechidah,’ which is the soul-level of Moshiach, and also the ordinal number Gematria of ‘Yeshu’ (as taught by Ariel Cohen Alloro).
Here is a list of all of the people who are mentioned in Chapter 37 (and everyone mentioned has a burial place), in the order that they appear:
- Rabbi Yehoshua HaTanna (10th most cited in Mishnah)
- Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta
- Rabbi Chiya (Idra Rabba, Nasso)
- Rabbi Nechunya ben HaKanah
- Rabbi Yossi Naphacha
- Rabbi Abba (Idra Rabba, Nasso)
- Adino HaEtzni
- Rabbi Chutzpit the Translator
- Yehoyada the Priest
- The Son of Rav Safra (Zohar)
- Yose ben Yo’ezer
- Yose ben Meshullam
- Yose ben Yochanan
- Rabbi Kruspadai Hamid Laba (Zohar)
- Antigonus of Socho
- Natan DeTzutzita
- Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas
- Rabbi Benjamin bar Japhet
- Rabbi Benjamin the Righteous, the Tanna
- Nachum Ish Gamzu
- Yeshu HaNotzri
- The Mother of Rabbi Kruspadai Chamid Leba
- Rabbi Natan the Babylonian
- Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya
- Rabbi Yiba Saba (Zohar)
- Uriah the Priest
- Rabbi Yossi of Pekiin (Zohar)
- Ben He-He
- Rabbi Yose ben Bruka
- Rabbi Yossi from Yokeret
- Rabbi Kruspadai the Amora
- (+ two unknown righteous)
- Rabbi Yossi bar Yaakov
- Elkanah, the father of the Prophet Samuel
- Rabbi Bena’ah (the Amora)
- Abba Saul (not confirmed by Arizal)
- Benayahu, the son of Yehoyada
- Abaye
- Rav Dimi from Nehardea
- Rava
- Nehemyah HaAmasoni (not Nachum Ish Gamzu)
- Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (4th most cited in Mishnah)
- His son, Rabbi Eleazar
- Rabbi Yehuda bar Elai (1st most cited in Mishnah)
- Rabbi Elai, the father of Rabbi Yehuda
- Rabbi Nehorai Saba (Zohar)
- Jonathan the son of Harkinas
- Rabbi Yitzhak ben Elishiv
- Jo’el ben Ptu’el
- Rabbi Yannai (not Rabbi Dostai and Rabbi Nehorai)
- Rabbi Zerika
- Rabbi Sama
- Oshaya
- Mar Ukva
- Rabbi Levitas of Yavne
- Admon
- Akavia son of Mahalalel
- Rabbi Yitzchak Naphacha
- Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai
- Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Rambam)
- His father, Maimon
- Rabbi Yohanan the Amora
- (+forgotten other one; or Rabbi Hananel, a disciple of Rav, Rabbi Kehana)
- Rabbi Chiya
- His sons, Judah and Hezekiah
- Rabbi Hamnuna Saba
- Rabbi Huna the exilarch
- Rabbi Akiva (7th most cited in Mishnah)
- Rabbi Meir (3rd most cited in Mishnah)
- Rabbi Jeremiah
- (+three forgotten righteous)
- The Prophet Nahum the Elkoshite
Interestingly, Nachum Ish Gam Zu’s burial place is mentioned twice in this chapter. Yeshu’s burial place immediately follows the first mention, whereas Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s burial place immediately follows after the second mention.
The burial place of the only righteous woman in this list, the mother of Rabbi Kruspadai Chamid Leba, immediately follows the mention of Yeshu, and in the same paragraph. Here’s some more context about the significance of Rabbi Kruspadai and his mother,
“After this is the book of the generations of man. This book refers to several others: the Book of Rabbi Hamnuna Saba, the Book of Hanoch, and the Book of Rabbi Kruspedai. Come and see: one day I arrived at the place of Rabbi Kruspedai with my companions. His mother prepared a seven-branched menorah for us and brought out Rabbi Kruspedai’s book. As we read from it, legions of angels descended to surround us, like people gathering for a wedding to sing before the bride and groom. The Holy One, blessed be He, descended with all His hosts and with Rabbi Kruspedai’s father to listen to the words from that book. It was the night of Shavuot, and G-d rejoiced in these words as on the day the Torah was given at Sinai.
On another occasion, we happened to be guests at Rabbi Kruspedai’s mother’s house. She set up a table and a menorah for us, but Rabbi Kruspedai had passed away. His mother said, “Rabbis, you have not begun the meal without Torah study before. What is different this time?” I told my companions, “Let’s start with words of Torah so this poor woman does not discover her son’s death and die before her time.” So, we began with Torah study.
I started and said, “In the beginning, G-d created,” this refers to the soul. When it leaves its mother’s womb, it is said about it, “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep,” for its eyes are closed. Once its eyes are opened, immediately “G-d said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” After the soul departs from this world, what is written about it? “G-d said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.'” When the soul departs, the body remains.
Rabbi Kruspedai’s mother, realizing her son’s passing from the extinguished candles, went out to search for a sign and invoked a dove. The dove returned, plucking its feathers and burying itself in crevices, confirming her son’s death. She immediately passed away as well.“
-Tikkunei Zohar 136a
Yeshu is the 21st righteous person who is mentioned in this list, corresponding to Yitzchak Avinu in the 21st generation since Adam HaRishon.
Leaders from Esav
Converts, especially from Esau, are so great that they became the leaders (‘heads’) of Judaism, according to the Arizal.
“Therefore, it is written that Isaac loved Esau because he had game in his mouth, meaning because of the holy spark that was within him inside, that is, in the Gimel Rishonot [Chabad; acronym of ‘convert’]. Because of that game, Isaac loved him, hoping that he might be corrected through it. In another source, it is written that Esau, having been reincarnated as Yeshua [same letters, in Hebrew], a disciple of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachiah, was rejected with both hands and punished, as it is written. For this reason, Chushim ben Dan killed Esau, cut off his head, and the head fell into the cave and was buried there with Jacob. This was because the holiness within him was only in his head, and therefore it was buried there. And because he was drawing from the Gimel Rishonot (three upper Sefirot), which are the heads of Israel, such as Shemaiah and Avtalion, and Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Akiva [converts from Edom], it is said, “And I will destroy the wise men out of Edom.” Therefore, converts will not be accepted in the days of the Messiah, and after there will no longer remain any spark of holiness, the Messiah will come.”
-R’ Chaim Vital, Pri Etz Chaim, Gate of The New Month, Chanukah, and Purim 3:29-31
This source agrees with the New Testament that once the “fullness of the Gentiles have come in,” then “the Messiah will come.” If these leaders of Israel all came from Esau, then what about the main leader of Israel, the Messiah? What does it mean that Yeshua is a reincarnation of Esau?
“Still, he [Esau] emerged first because he was meant to be a rectification (Tikkun) for Adam HaRishon. Thus, the text answers: He was red (admoni) because he was the reincarnation of David…”
-Megalleh Amukkot on Torah, Toldot 2
If the Arizal taught that Yeshua is the reincarnation of Esau and Megaleh Amukot taught that Esau was the reincarnation of David (to atone for Adam), then we can safely conclude that Yeshua is a reincarnation of his ancestor, David the King, who was also initially falsely accused of being an evil mamzer and unrecognized as the true Messiah of G-d.
“from you [Bethlehem] shall emerge for Me—the Messiah, son of David, and so Scripture says (Ps. 118:22): “The stone the builders had rejected became a cornerstone.”
-Rashi, Micah 5:1
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