Entering the Cave of the Patriarchs: A Journey of Awe and Discovery

It happened four days before Rosh Hashanah 5742 (1981). The memory is still vivid in the heart of Rabbi Moshe Yaakov, who was the first in a group of ten brave men to secretly descend into the Cave of the Patriarchs, Me’arat HaMachpelah, in Hebron. For the first time in nearly two millennia, they entered the sacred burial chambers of our forefathers.

Rabbi Moshe Yaakov is a descendant of a respected Kabbalist from Baghdad and is today a member of the Haredi community in Jerusalem. His deep connection to Hebron began after serving in the IDF Paratroopers Brigade, especially following the tragic murder of yeshiva students at Beit Hadassah. He immersed himself in studying the teachings of the Zohar especially what it says about the Cave of the Patriarchs and the hidden “Garden of Eden” said to lie beneath it.

He dreamed of reaching the depths of the cave that had been sealed off by Byzantine and Christian structures, and of fulfilling the mitzvah of removing idolatry from the graves of our ancestors.

Together with his friends, he spent months carefully planning the operation. They decided to enter the cave on a night when many people would be there reciting Tehillim (Psalms) and Selichot (penitential prayers), hoping that the loud voices would cover the sound of the hammers as they secretly worked to break through the ancient barrier to the cave sealed since the Byzantine era.

“We witnessed a clear miracle that night,” Rabbi Moshe Yaakov recalls with emotion. “People around us fell asleep, and a great silence settled over the area. We felt Hashem guiding our steps. No one believed we would succeed, but we knew we had to try.”

Carrying hammers, pry bars, flashlights, measuring tapes, and walkie-talkies in their backpacks, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov and his friend Avishai began their descent.

What did you find when you entered?

“I tied a rope around myself and lowered myself into the tunnel. My heart was racing. I saw a stone staircase, 15 steps, just like the steps beneath the Temple Mount described in our sources. These are the same stairs, tradition says, that King David and King Shlomo (Solomon) once descended. At the bottom, I found a narrow tunnel 18 meters long, one meter high, and barely 65 centimeters wide. I turned on my flashlight and saw massive, beautifully carved stones just like those at the Kotel (Western Wall).”

At the end of the tunnel, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov reached the Aliyah, the “ascension opening” described in the Talmud. “I looked up and saw a chain with ancient oil lamps hanging from the ceiling. I lit them, shaking with awe. These lamps hadn’t been used in nearly 2,000 years. According to Christian tradition, anyone who descended there didn’t survive. But here I was, alive.”

Near the opening, he found a large pile of old notes and coins, some from the First and Second Temple periods. “I felt chills. These were the prayers and offerings of Jews from thousands of years ago.”

As he moved forward, he entered a room with three large Byzantine monuments, the central one decorated with a cross. “We believed this monument was blocking the true entrance to the Patriarchs’ graves, so we began breaking it down. But after two hours, we found no opening.”

Then something unexpected happened.

“I stepped back down and suddenly felt my head turn not by choice, but by some unseen force. I looked at the step and saw a small hole, about 15 centimeters wide, carved into the stone. I placed the pry bar into it, and to our amazement, the stone slid forward. We had found a hidden opening. I crawled inside and found myself in a breathtaking cave, about six meters wide and one and a half meters high. A soft wind was blowing. The Zohar teaches that Adam himself carved this cave with his own hands.”

And deeper still…

“There was a narrow passage like a neck leading into another cave. Inside, the scent of spices was so strong it took my breath away. According to tradition, this is where Avraham Avinu buried Sarah. As I crawled further, I saw the heart of the Cave of the Patriarchs laid out before me.

“In the center of the second cave, there was a square carving shaped like tefillin. Based on years of study, this was identified as Adam’s grave, just as the Ben Ish Chai describes. Two cubits away, I found a side chamber, Isaac and Rivka’s grave. When I tried to enter, ancient pottery shards cut my skin. Again, I felt the wind, the one the Zohar says blows three times daily from the upper Garden of Eden into the lower one.”

He continued on to Yaakov and Leah’s resting place. “The cave was sealed with a rich brown soil. It looked as if it had just been placed there. A strong smell of spices filled the air. Avraham on the right, Yitzchak on the left, and Yaakov in the center just as the sources describe.”

At the entrance to Avraham’s section, he found a broken clay jar filled with incense. “We later tested it at the Weizmann Institute. They confirmed it was 4,000 years old dating back to the time of Avraham Avinu.”

Rabbi Moshe Yaakov asked his friend for the bucket they had brought and began digging. That’s when he found pottery pieces covering the mouth of the cave. “One piece had seven Stars of David engraved on it. Another had six stars and Hebrew letters and each star surrounded by 72 triangles, corresponding to the 72-letter Name of Hashem. Inside these were etched the names of the twelve tribes.”

Overwhelmed, he kept digging. But his friend reminded him they had to leave quickly before Muslims arrived for morning prayers. Reluctantly, they climbed the 15 steps back up and resealed the entrance with stones.

Were you afraid?

“Of course. But we had the blessing of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, who encouraged us to enter and investigate. Still, when I reached Yaakov’s cave, I suddenly felt a deep inner warning not to go further. I sensed real danger. A few minutes later, we had to leave.”

He carried the pottery pieces in his backpack as they quietly exited.

The mission may have ended that night, but its light continues to shine. Rabbi Moshe Yaakov’s descent into the Cave of the Patriarchs remains one of the most profound spiritual discoveries of modern times, an emotional bridge connecting today’s Jews to the very roots of our people.