Rare Prayer at the Cave of the Patriarchs Set for July 4 for Donors

On Wednesday, 9 Tammuz, a special prayer service will be held at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron for donors to Kupa Ha'Ir. The event is timed to coincide with the traditional date on which Caleb son of Jephunneh is said to have come to Hebron and prayed to be saved from the spies’ plot.

The article says this is one of the oldest segulot, or spiritual remedies, with its source in the Torah itself. In the Book of Numbers, Caleb is described as going alone to Hebron to pray at the graves of the patriarchs. The piece says that, by precise calculation, this happened 3,337 years ago, and that on 9 Tammuz 5786 the same auspicious moment returns.

Three rabbis, Rabbi Bentzion Finkel, Rabbi Chaim Yitzchak Min-HaHar, and Rabbi Yitzchak Fischoff, will lead the prayer at the same place and time where Caleb prayed. They will pray for all contributors to the “Ad Chevron” drive, and donors may submit names for blessings and salvation.

Participation is set at 340 shekels, matching the phrase “Ad Chevron,” and donors who give that amount are promised inclusion in the rare prayer at the Cave of the Patriarchs. At the end of the prayer, members of the local rabbinical court are expected to sign a “salvation from trouble” document for fixed-sum donors, asking that the merit of the place, the time, and the charity save them from trouble and calamity.