Some 25,000 Jewish worshipers flocked to the Cave of the Patriarch this weekend to celebrate the life of the Biblical matriarch Sarah.
The Torah portion tells the story of the purchase of the Cave, called “Machpela,” and its surrounding property, by the Biblical patriarch Abraham, who bought it for a final resting place for his wife, Sarah.
In honor of the occasion, all sections of the cave, Machpela, were open to the Jewish visitors, which is rarely the case as a portion of the site is often reserved for Muslim worshipers alone.
Some 2,500 Jews also participated in a subsequent tour of the Jewish areas of Hebron as well.
IDF security was expanded in order to accommodate the massive crowd of worshipers, which streams into the ancient holy city each year at this time.
Hebron is one of the four ancient holy cities of the Bible, which also include Jerusalem, Tzefat (Safed) and Tverya (Tiberias).
