Remember in 2019 when I talked about Honi and chutzpah? This story has been made famous in the evangelical Christian world after Mark Batterson published his book, The Circlemaker.
Well, I got to go to Honi's memorial site!
Honi Ha Me'agel was a wise rabbi who lived during the inter-testamental period (the 400 years of silence). At one point during his life, Israel experienced a horrible drought. One day, Honi went out and drew a circle in the ground, saying to God, "I will not leave this circle until you send rain."
A little rain fell, but it wasn't enough. So he said to God, "No, I'm asking for rain to fill wells, and pools, and caves." The rain became a torrential downpour. So he prayed again, "No, softer" and the rain lessened to a life-giving pace.
Now, it's possible to visit Honi's tomb up in the Hula Valley in northern Israel. It has a beautiful view, as you can see above!
People come from all over to pray at Honi's tomb, much as a Catholic pilgrim might travel to pray at a saint's tomb.
There are two entrances, one for men and one for women. Here's the entrance to the women's section:
And here is what it looks like inside. The book case has prayer books and there are scarves to the side for women to use as head coverings.
The graves of his grandsons are nearby, as well as a school for young boys and a yeshiva for married men.
Pretty cool!
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