The Reasons a Person Would Seek to Be Interred in the Holy Land
Within the Jewish faith, when someone dies, it’s not uncommon for them to have arranged to have their body flown to Israel for interment. Why would someone choose to do this? Is there anything in the Torah that requires or promotes this practice?
The Tradition of Burial in the Holy Land
The desire and/or practice of burial in Israel dates back thousands of years, and finds support in the 47th chapter of the book of Genesis, where Jacob asks Joseph to be buried in the promised land:
“When the time drew near for Jacob to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him,” If I have found favor in your eyes…do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury where they are buried.”
Jewish scholars cite a couple specific reasons for interment in the Holy Land:
- Doing so is believed to lead to a measure of atonement for one’s sins—The book of Exodus states that anyone buried in Israel shall be considered to have been buried “beneath an altar.” According to Jewish tradition, burial in Israel accomplishes this objective, even if the deceased never lived in Israel.
- Burial in Israel is believed to facilitate an easy resurrection—A basic belief of the Jewish faith is that all the dead will come to life again in the era of Moshiach. It is further believed, though, that the bodies of those interred outside of Israel will have to dig through the earth to get to the Holy Land, so that their souls can be reinstated with their bodies. Burial in Israel can make this unnecessary.
Rather than flying a body to Israel, many in the Jewish faith will have earth brought from the Holy Land and placed in the coffin of a loved one.
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