Wish you didn't remove these stones…
The Jewish tradition of placing small stones on a grave goes back very far, and it’s unclear exactly how it originated. It is a tradition or custom. There is no religious reason behind it, but there have been many interpretations over time. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Jewish Priests (in Hebrew, kohanim) in the Jerusalem Temple were ritually unclean if they just came within four feet of a corpse. Jews started marking graves with many little stones to indicate to kohanim (Jewish Priests) that they should keep away.
- According to the Talmud, a departed soul continues to dwell around the grave in which their body was buried. Some believe that placing small stones on the grave could keep the soul on earth, an idea that is comforting for some. An associated interpretation proposes that the stones repel demons from the graves.
- Another reason for putting stones on the grave is that flowers are very pretty, but eventually they will wilt and die. A stone will not, and therefore can represent the durability of legacy and the memory.
- Rabbinic director Rabbi Simkha Weintraub of the New York Jewish Healing Center offers the following interpretation: “The Hebrew word for ‘pebble’ is tz’ror – and it happens that this Hebrew word also means ‘bond.’ When we pray the memorial El Maleh Rahamim prayer (and at other times) we ask that the deceased be ‘bound up in the bond of life’ – tz’ror haHayyim. By placing the stone, we show that we have been there, and that the individual’s memory continues to live on in and through us.”
People who participate in this practice are very careful choosing which stone to place on their loved one’s grave. They may take a stone from a place that was significant to the deceased, or just choose a rock that they find interesting or beautiful. Since there is not a biblical commandment to be fulfilled, the practice of placing a stone on a grave can be done however feels right for you.
Reference:
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/putting-stones-on-jewish-graves/