Ereb Rosh Hashanah is a very significant day on the Jewish calendar, and there are several different customs that many people observe on this special day. One such custom is to visit graves of Sadikim and pray that these righteous souls should intercede on our behalf on the day of judgment. The Midrash relates that during the excursion of the Meragelim (scouts) to Eretz Yisrael, Kaleb went to Me’arat Ha’machpela – the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron – to pray. Realizing he needed divine assistance to oppose the plan of the other spies, Kaleb prayed at the gravesite of the holy patriarchs in order to invoke their merit. It is thus appropriate before Rosh Hashanah, too, when we desperately need assistance as we stand in judgment, to visit the graves of the holy Sadikim to pray and invoke their merit so they will advocate on our behalf.
Several stories are told that demonstrate the power and impact of visiting the graves of the Sadikim. The Talmud in Masechet Berachot tells of a poor man who once gave charity on Ereb Rosh Hashanah, and his wife angrily berated him for sharing their limited resources with others. He left the house and slept that night – the night of Rosh Hashanah – at the graveyard. During the night, he heard the spirits talking of what will happen to the crops that year, and using this "inside information" he was able to earn profits that year while everyone else lost money. Clearly, the spirits of the righteous by their graves have special power that can assist a person before Rosh Hashanah.
Another story is told of Rav Haim Vital (1543-1620), who was instructed by his teacher, the Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572), to visit the graves of Abayeh and Raba and have a certain deep Kavana (intention) there at the gravesites. The Arizal said that thinking this Kavana at these gravesites would be especially beneficial for him. Rav Haim Vital went to visit the graves, and thought the deep Kavanot that the Arizal had taught him. When he returned, the Arizal stood up for him with great honor and deference. Rav Haim asked his mentor why he showed him such honor, and the Arizal explained that he was showing this honor to the soul of Benayahu Ben Yehoyada, the general of King Shelomo and an outstanding Sadik, who accompanied him.
Rav Haim at first did not understand why the soul of Benayahu Ben Yehoyada had accompanied him, but several months later, he and the Arizal were walking together and the Arizal suddenly stopped at a certain rock.
"Right here," he told his disciple, "is the burial site of Benayahu Ben Yehoyada!" There was no marker or tombstone, but the Arizal knew through Ru’ah Ha’kodesh that this was the burial site of Benayahu Ben Yehoyada.
Rav Haim Vital then noted that as he had made his way to the graves of Abayeh and Raba, he stopped for a few moments right at that spot, by that rock, to review the deep Kavanot that the Arizal had taught him. By thinking these thoughts at the Sadik’s burial site, the soul of the Sadik clung to him and accompanied him. This demonstrates the special spiritual power of visiting the graves of the Sadikim, through which one connects to their sacred souls, and this could be extremely beneficial as we prepare ourselves for the great judgment of Rosh Hashanah.
