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Writer's pictureMike Levitt

Grave of Rabbi Hamnuna Sabba, near Meron - קבר של רבי המנונא סבא, ליד מירון


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Driving back from Tsfat with Amber, having bought ice cream at Meiron, we stopped in the car park at the bend in the road at Nahal Meiron (Meiron stream). Having finished our ice creams we went for a very short tiyul (trip) all of quarter of an hour!

We started by walking to the road where a rock-cut staircase leads to a cave about two metres above, which houses the grave of Rabbi Hamnuna Sabba ("the elder"), the mid third century CE pupil of Rav, and an associate of Rav Chisda. He succeeded Rav as the head of the rabbinical academy at Sura. The Talmud contains many halakhic rulings, aggadot and prayers by him.

The actual grave (pictured above) is in the entrance to the cave, which nevertheless stretches back some way forming chambers. We found many memorial lights including one burning, showing that even these less well known graves are well frequented.

Afterwards, we walked along Nahal Meiron a few yards, crossing the dry riverbed on a footbridge into a small bosquet (wooded plantation) planted by the JNF in honour of one Madame Cecile Zekri. There we saw the ruins of a flour mill, one of several on the Meiron and Amud streams.

You can see more pictures here.

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