Why Mourners Place Stones on Jewish Graves

For thousands of years, human beings have used rocks and stones of varying sizes in their burial rituals and traditions, whether to cover a deceased body, mark the burial site in order to locate it later, or to memorialize the individual who died (e.g., the headstones and gravemarkers found in modern cemeteries and memorial parks). Unique to Jewish tradition, however, is the custom of placing pebbles, stones, and small rocks on Jewish graves.

Stones on Jewish headstones
Ursula Alter / E+ / Getty Images

The Custom

Within the Jewish tradition, mourners visiting the gravesite of a loved one will often place a visiting stone atop the headstone or gravemarker or somewhere on the gravesite itself, before departing. These rocks and stones vary in size—generally anywhere from a pebble to golf ball-sized or larger—and might be obtained by the mourner beforehand from someplace of significance to the visitor and/or the deceased, or even provided by the cemetery itself (particularly during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).

As awareness of this ancient Judaic custom has spread—thanks in large part to the Internet—even people from other religious faiths have embraced the idea of leaving visitor stones at the burial sites of their loved ones. In addition, several companies now provide commercially made and/or personalized versions of these stones, such as Remembrance Stones and MitzvahStones, among others.

Depending upon the gravesite, it is not uncommon to see a few pebbles or rocks to a veritable "mountain" of visitor stones denoting previous visits from family members, friends and loved ones who honored the deceased with their presence.

The Possible Explanations

Not unlike many of the traditions, customs and superstitions surrounding modern funeral, burial, and mourning practices, the origin of mourners leaving pebbles, stones or rocks at the site of Jewish graves is unfortunately lost to time. Many theories exist, however, such as:

  • Depending upon your interpretation and beliefs, the Talmud (the written compendium of Jewish oral tradition) can suggest that the human soul remains in the grave with the body after death—possibly for a few days, a week, a year, or until the final resurrection and judgment. Thus, mourners might have originally placed stones on the graves of loved ones in order to prevent souls from leaving their burial spots.
  • Whereas the previous explanation was intended to keep something in, another theory suggests that people wanted to keep something out. Placing pebbles and rocks on Jewish graves might have prevented evil spirits and demons from entering burial sites and taking possession of human souls, according to superstition.
  • The Bible relates the story of God commanding Joshua to create a memorial in Jordan comprising 12 stones that would represent the "children of Israel for ever." Thus, this symbolic stone representation of the people of Israel might have been echoed later in the practice of leaving pebbles and rocks on the headstones of the dead.
  • A nomadic people, visitors to Jewish gravesites might have originally left stones to denote their visit and pay homage to the deceased simply because flowers and plants were not available. Because of the arid conditions prevalent in rocky or desert regions, visitors might have been forced to use whatever materials were at hand.
  • Along those same lines, burying the deceased in rocky or desert areas often resulted in shallow graves that required covering the deceased with stones and rocks in order to complete the burial and/or to prevent predation. (Heaps of stone like this gave rise to the modern English word "cairn.") Thus, it is entirely possible that the use of visitor stones on Jewish graves resulted from the practice of "tidying up" gravesites by adding/replacing rocks and stones in order to maintain a burial spot.
  • Stones—particularly pebbles—were often used in ancient times as a method of counting, including by shepherds trying to keep track of their flocks, who would keep the appropriate number of stones in a pouch/sling or strung on a string. Therefore, the ancient Judaic practice of leaving a visiting stone on the headstone or gravesite of a deceased loved one might have evolved from a simple system of counting the number of visitors the deceased received.
  • Another theory suggests that Jewish priests could become ritually impure by contacting a deceased individual—whether directly or by proximity. By using stones and rocks to mark a gravesite, therefore, visitor stones could have served as a warning to Jewish priests not to approach too closely.
  • Perhaps the most profound (possible) origin of the custom of placing pebbles, stones and small rocks on Jewish graves involves the fact that flowers, plants, foodstuffs and other organic materials quickly wither or decompose, evoking the transitory nature of life. On the other hand, a pebble, stone or rock symbolizes the lasting permanence and legacy of the deceased in the hearts and minds of survivors. This might explain the adoption of leaving visitor stones on tombstones and gravesites by those outside of the Jewish faith, who view this tradition as an effective method of affirming their emotional and spiritual bond with a loved one despite their separation by death.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. My Jewish Learning. Why do Jews put stones on graves?

  2. Jewish Virtual Library. Death and bereavement in Judaism: putting stones on Jewish graves.

  3. The Schechter Institutes. Why is it customary to place a stone on a grave (Yoreh Deah 376:4)?

  4. Shiva.com. Placing a stone.

Chris Raymond

By Chris Raymond
Chris Raymond is an expert on funerals, grief, and end-of-life issues, as well as the former editor of the world’s most widely read magazine for funeral directors.