Why Do We Place Stones of a Grave Monument

 Why don't Hebrews put flowers near a tomb?

And instead of flowers leave a stone

The Hebrew custom of placing a stone on a tomb is ancient.

In doing so, we are symbolically adding to the tomb, building the monument that honors the dead.

Putting flowers on a grave is not our custom.

The flowers wither and die. The stones remain unchanged

Although flowers are a beautiful gift to the living, they mean nothing to the dead.

In death, the ephemeral and temporary body disappears, and all that remains is that eternal part of the person, his soul.

The body, like a flower, blooms and then fades, but the soul, like a solid stone, lives forever.

In the real world, the place we all go after life on earth, what counts is the lasting impact we have had on the world.

It's the conquests of the soul, not of the body, that go beyond the grave. The money we make, the vacations we take, the food we eat and the games we play, are all flowers that die with us.

But the good deeds we do, the love we show to others, the light we bring to the world, are eternal stones that never die.

Take a modest stone that will cost you nothing, and place it on the grave of your loved one, to tell him that even though he is gone, the impact it had on you is real and eternal.