Flowers And Gifts

There are many ways to pay homage to those who have passed before us, and there seem to be the basic option between flowers and small stones for the grave stones. Many people are often curious about why people of the Jewish faith leave small stones on the grave stones rather than the customary flowers that Christians and even non-believers leave behind. It seems to many goy individuals that this is a very curious custom considering the fragrance of flowers and their beauty, while short lived, is grander than that of a small stone.

Flowers are of a different tradition. Stones are left on Jewish grave sites for a great many reasons, including the permanency of the stone. The flowers will eventually die but a stone will last forever. The stones also symbolize that someone has been to the grave site to visit. This tradition was most likely developed from the early Jewish tradition when each mourner left a stone to create a mound over the body after burial. Flowers appealed to the Christians because of their color while stones remained the Jewish custom based on Talmud stories and tradition. Flowers will eventually die, but there is something beautiful about the flowers that line a grave yard. Stones are the permanent reminder for the Jewish people that their loved one was visited. For those without faith, does it really matter whether a loved one’s grave site is visited with flowers or stones? Doesn’t it matter more that someone came to visit the dead with love?