ritual
tombstone
At a glance
In short
Matzeivah is the monument or headstone, the common word in spoken Hebrew and the one the Torah uses at Kever Rachel. Tziyun is the marker. Nefesh, literally "soul," is the Mishnah's word for the structure. Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky reads the three as three reasons for erecting a stone at all: to make the grave visible for those who come to daven, to delineate where the body lies so that others (Kohanim especially) avoid tumah, and to honor the departed and his soul. Others read all three instead as the deceased's desire to go on serving Hashem, which death cut off.
Distinctions
Matzeivah (מצבה)
Yaakov set a matzeivah over Rachel's grave (Bereishis 35:20), and this is the common word in spoken Hebrew. Its other sense is the single-stone altar that was halachically permitted for avodah in the days of the Avos and later forbidden, and both Ehrenreich's reading and that of the "others" work off that double sense; Shick and Pollak work instead off netziv, standing. Rabbi Shlomo Aharon Wertheimer, who explains that nitzav implies prolonged or continuous standing, adds that a matzeivah, whether single-stone altar or monument, is so called because it is erected with the intent that it stand in place for a long time.
Tziyun (ציון)
Graves marked with a tziyun, a "marker," appear at Yechezkel 39:15 and Melachim II 23:17.
- For Tukachinsky its function is to delineate the exact spot so that others can avoid tumah, which is especially pertinent for Kohanim (Vayikra 21:1 to 4);
- for Rabbi Pollak it is a road marker reminding the passerby where he is headed;
- for the "others," the sense "remarkable, outstanding" speaks of the deceased's striving for excellence.
Nefesh (נפש)
Shekalim 2:5: one view in the Mishnah holds that money left over from what was collected for a man's burial should go to building a nefesh at his grave (see also Ohalos 7:1). The literal sense is "soul," but the word is used here for the structure.
Where the authorities disagree
Why the three words.
- Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky (Gesher HaChaim): three purposes, as above.
- Others explain instead that all three reflect the deceased's desire to continue serving Hashem and keeping the mitzvos had he remained alive: matzeivah, which also names the single-stone altar, says he wished to go on worshipping Hashem and was forced to stop because he died; tziyun, "remarkable" or "outstanding," the word Tanach uses in the parts written after the matzeivah-altar became forbidden, says he strove for excellence throughout his life and death cut that pursuit off; and nefesh, related to will (see Rashi to Bereishis 23:8), conjures the departed's will to do good.
What the matzeivah is really named for.
- Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich takes a different approach: the tombstone shares its word with the single-stone altar because the two share a common feature. Just as korbanos on an altar atone for sins, so does the death of the righteous, who are memorialized with a headstone (Moed Katan 28a).
- Rabbi Moshe Shick: we colloquially call a tombstone matzeivah because the word is related to netziv, "standing" or "erect," and the name instills the belief in Techiyas HaMeisim, that the dead will stand up again. Rabbi Asher Pollak adds that the pasuk itself alludes to this: Kever Rachel's stone is "the matzeivah of Rachel's grave ad hayom," and hayom is a codeword for the day Mashiach will arrive, as in Tehillim 95:7, which Eliyahu HaNavi cited as a prooftext that Mashiach will come today, if only Israel would listen to Hashem's voice (Sanhedrin 98a).
What tziyun means here.
- Tukachinsky: the stone that delineates exactly where the deceased is buried.
- Rabbi Pollak also writes that a tombstone is called a tziyun because, like a road marker, it reminds those who see it where they are going and what is expected of them.
- The "others" above read tziyun as "outstanding."
What nefesh means here. Four readings.
- Tukachinsky: the soul, honored at the place where it may linger near its former body. The Meleches Shlomo (to Shekalim 2:5) had already said much the same: the marker is called nefesh because it is the dwelling of the soul that rests upon it.
- The "others" above: will, the departed's will to do good (Rashi to Bereishis 23:8).
- Rabbi Eliyahu Katz: in the context of tombstones the word is actually related to menuchah, rest, from shavas vayinafash (Shemos 31:17), so a stone that marks one's eternal resting place is itself named for resting.
- The Hon Ashir (to Shekalim 2:5): the stone is like the soul, whose memory is not lost though the man has died, since it keeps the place of his body from being forgotten.
Also discussed in
Radak on these roots
Sefer HaShorashim
נ-פ-ש
The soul; at times the body; the will and the desire; the dead, so called because death is the soul's parting from the body; the breath; and as a verb, to rest.
Where it means the body
Sometimes it comes in the masculine, when the body is meant by it: אֶחָד נֶפֶשׁ מֵֽחֲמֵשׁ הַמֵּאוֹת (Bamidbar 31:28), one soul out of five hundred, and כָּל־ נֶפֶשׁ אַרְבָּעָה עָשָֽׂר (Bereishis 46:22), all the souls, fourteen. בַּרְזֶל בָּאָה נַפְשֽׁוֹ (Tehillim 105:18), the iron entered his soul, is said so because the soul is afflicted by the affliction of the body; and so בְּגֹעַל נַפְשֵׁךְ (Yechezkel 16:5), in the loathing of your soul, where the soul is your body.
The dead
The dead are called nefesh because the cause of death is the parting of the soul from the body: וְעַל כָּל־ נַפְשֹׁת מֵת לֹא יָבֹא (Vayikra 21:11), he shall not come upon any souls of the dead, and הַנֹּגֵעַ בְּמֵת לְכָל־ נֶפֶשׁ (Bamidbar 19:11), one who touches the dead of any soul. So too מֵֽאֲשֶׁר חָטָא עַל־ הַנָּפֶשׁ (Bamidbar 6:11), for that he sinned by the soul, that is, by the dead. Some of Chazal (Nazir 19a) explained that same phrase of his having pained himself by keeping from wine: he sinned against the soul that desires, withholding its desire from wine altogether.
Will and desire
Because the soul is the mistress of the will and the desire, the sin and the trespass are hung upon her: נֶפֶשׁ כִּֽי־תִמְעֹל (Vayikra 5:15), a soul that commits a trespass, and וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי־תֶֽחֱטָא (Vayikra 5:1), and a soul that sins; and the touching of the body likewise, נֶפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תִּֽגַּֽע (Vayikra 22:6), a soul that touches, since the body acts in partnership with her. So too אַֽל־תִּתְּנֵנִי בְּנֶפֶשׁ צָרָי (Tehillim 27:12), do not give me over to the soul of my adversaries, that is, to their will and their desire, and לֶאְסֹר שָׂרָיו בְּנַפְשׁוֹ (Tehillim 105:22), to bind his princes at his soul, that is, by his own will, without leave of the king.
Breath, and rest
It is said of the breath and the vapour that goes out from the mouth, נַפְשׁוֹ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט (Iyov 41:13), his breath kindles coals; and Ibn Ezra explained לָכֵן הִרְחִיבָה שְּׁאוֹל נַפְשָׁהּ (Yeshayahu 5:14) the same way, therefore the grave has widened her breath. The verb is שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַֽשׁ (Shemos 31:17), He ceased and rested, and וְיִנָּפֵשׁ בֶּן־אֲמָֽתְךָ (Shemos 23:12), and the son of your handmaid may rest, that is, that his soul may rest.
Her own; and the soul as a figure
וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ לְנַפְשָׁהּ (Devarim 21:14), you shall send her away to herself, is that she is to belong to herself and not stand in another's authority. And by way of a figure it says that Hashem swore בְּנַפְשׁוֹ (Amos 6:8), by His soul, and so אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא נַפְשִׁי (Tehillim 24:4), who has not taken My soul in vain, and וְנַפְשׁוֹ אִוְּתָה וַיָּֽעַשׂ (Iyov 23:13), and His soul desired, and He did it.
נֶפֶשׁ תַּחַת נָֽפֶשׁ (שמות כא, כג), בשש נקודות. נֶפֶשׁ שְׂבֵעָה (משלי כז, ז), הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִֽוא (במדבר ה, ו). ופעמים בא בלשון זכר רוצה לדבר בו על הגוף אֶחָד נֶפֶשׁ מֵֽחֲמֵשׁ הַמֵּאוֹת (במדבר לא, כח), נֶפֶשׁ שְׁנָיִם (בראשית מו, כז), כָּל־נֶפֶשׁ אַרְבָּעָה עָשָֽׂר (בראשית מו, כב). וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי־תֶֽחֱטָא וְשָֽׁמְעָה קוֹל אָלָה (ויקרא ה, א). והקבוץ וְעַל־הַנְּפָשׁוֹת אֲשֶׁר הָֽיוּ־שָׁם (במדבר יט, יח), לְהָמִית נְפָשׁוֹת (יחזקאל יג, יט). ובקבוץ הזכרים מְצֹֽדְדוֹת אֶת־נְפָשִׁים (יחזקאל יג, כ). בַּרְזֶל בָּאָה נַפְשֽׁוֹ (תהלים קה, יח). אמר כן לפי שהנפש מעֻנה בעינוי הגוף. וכן בְּגֹעַל נַפְשֵׁךְ (יחזקאל טז, ה), גופך. ואמר על דרך משל נִשְׁבַּע י"י אלהים בְּנַפְשׁוֹ (עמוס ו, ח), וכן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא נַפְשִׁי (תהלים כד, ד) וְנַפְשׁוֹ אִוְּתָה וַיָּֽעַשׂ (איוב כג, יג). וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ לְנַפְשָׁהּ (דברים כא, יד), כלומר שתהיה לעצמה ולא תהיה ברשות אחר. וכנה המת בנפש כי סבת המיתה בהפרד הנפש מן הגוף ואמר וְעַל כָּל־נַפְשֹׁת מֵת לֹא יָבֹא (ויקרא כא, יא), הַנֹּגֵעַ בְּמֵת לְכָל־נֶפֶשׁ (במדבר יט, יא). וכן מֵֽאֲשֶׁר חָטָא עַל־הַנָּפֶשׁ (במדבר ו, יא). ויש מרבותינו ז"ל שפירשו (נזיר יט, ע"א), מֵֽאֲשֶׁר חָטָא עַל־הַנָּפֶשׁ על שצער עצמו מן היין הנה חטא על הנפש המתאוה שמנע תאותה מן היין מכל וכל. נֶפֶשׁ כִּֽי־תִמְעֹל (ויקרא ה, טו), נֶפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תִּֽגַּֽע (ויקרא כב, ו), וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי־תֶֽחֱטָא (ויקרא ה, א). לפי שהיא בעלת הרצון והתאוה תלה החטא והמעל בה, וכן נגיעת הגוף כי פעל הגוף בשתופה. וכן אמר אַֽל־תִּתְּנֵנִי בְּנֶפֶשׁ צָרָי (תהלים כז, יב), כלומר ברצונם ובתאותם. לֶאְסֹר שָׂרָיו בְּנַפְשׁוֹ (תהלים קה, כב), כלומר ברצונו שלא ברשות המלך. ויאמר נפש על הנשימה וההבל היוצא מהפה נַפְשׁוֹ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט (איוב מא, יג). וכמוהו פירש רבי אברהם אבן עזרא ז"ל לָכֵן הִרְחִיבָה שְּׁאוֹל נַפְשָׁהּ (ישעיה ה, יד). והנפעל שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַֽשׁ (שמות לא, יז), וְיִנָּפֵשׁ בֶּן־אֲמָֽתְךָ (שמות כג, יב), כלומר שתנוח נפשו.
נ-צ-ב
What is set up or stands: נְצִיב, a mound of salt or a governor; מַצֵּבָה, a stone set up to be worshipped; הַנִּצָּב, a knife's handle. Most of it may belong to יָצַב.
What is set up
נְצִיב מֶלַח (Bereishis 19:26) he glosses as a mound of salt. The stone set up to be served is a מַצֵּבָה; and the man set over a people is a נְצִיב, as נְצִיב פְּלִשְׁתִּים (Shmuel I 13:3), the governor of the Pelishtim, and שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נִצָּבִים (Melachim I 4:7), twelve officers set over the people. לְבַד מִשָּׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים (Melachim I 5:30) he reads in two ways: besides officers who were set over, the mem of the plural being missing; or besides the officers of those set over, for there were officers over those set over, and those set over were over the rest of the people.
Edom without a king
וּמֶלֶךְ אֵין בֶּאֱדוֹם נִצָּב מֶלֶךְ (Melachim I 22:48), and there was no king in Edom, a governor was king: in Yehoshafat's day Edom had no king of its own, and the governor whom the kings of David's house set over them served them as king. The pasuk tells it here, he says, because Yehoshafat walked in the way of Hashem, so that Edom did not rebel under him; under his son Yehoram, who did evil, Edom rebelled at once and set a king over itself.
Standing still, and the haft
הַנִּצָּבָה לֹא יְכַלְכֵּל (Zecharyah 11:16), the one that stands he will not sustain: the sick ewe standing in her place and unable to stir. And הַנִּצָּב (Shoftim 3:22) is the haft of the knife, which holds the blade so that there is a handle to cut with. So too וּלְהַצִּיב הַדָּֽרְבָֽן (Shmuel I 13:21), and to set the goad, is setting the goad up: that is, all these tools were mended with the פצירה פים, a sharpening tool, and the goad was set in it to be sharpened and polished with it.
Perhaps another root
Most of what is written here may belong to the root יָצַב, where he has set down their like; nothing decides between the two.
נְצִיב מֶֽלַח (בראשית יט, כו), פירוש תל מלח. וכן נקראת האבן שמעמידין אותה לעובדה וּפֶסֶל וּמַצֵּבָה (ויקרא כו, א). וכן נקרא נציב העם והממונה בהם נְצִיב פְּלִשְׁתִּים (שמואל א' יג, ג), וַיִּתֵּן נְצִיבִים בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה (דברי הימים ב' יד, ב). שְׁנֵֽים־עָשָׂר נִצָּבִים (מלכים א' ד, ז), ממונים ונצבים על העם. לְבַד מִשָּׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים (מלכים א' ה, ל), פירוש משרים הנצבים ומ"ם הרבים חסרה. והדומים לו כתבנו בחלק הדקדוק או פירושו משרי הנצבים שהיו שם שרים על הנצבים והנצבים על שאר העם. וּמֶלֶךְ אֵין בֶּֽאֱדוֹם נִצָּב מֶֽלֶךְ (שם א' כב, מח), פירוש בימי יהושפט לא היה מלך באדום אבל הַנִּצָב היה להם מלך, פירוש הנציבים שהיו מעמידים להם מלכי בית דוד, כי תחת ידם היו בימי דוד כמו שכתוב וַיָּשֶׂם בֶּֽאֱדוֹם נְצִיבִים וַיִּֽהְיוּ כָל־אֱדוֹם עֲבָדִים לְדָוִיד (דברי הימים א' יח, יג). והטעם שהזכיר ענין זה בזה הפסוק רוצה לומר לפי שהלך יהושפט בדרך י"י ויתר הקדש אשר נשאר בימי אסא אביו בער מן הארץ (מלכים א' כב, מז), לפיכך לא פשע אדום מתחת ידו, ועוד בימיו אין מלך באדום אך הנצב שהקים הוא היה להם מלך, אבל בימי יהורם בנו שעשה הרע בעיני י"י מיד מרד בו אדום כמו שכחוב בימיו פשע אדום מחחה יד יהודה וימלכו עליהם מלך (שם ב, ח, כ. דברי הימים ב' כא, ח). הַנִּצָּבָה לֹא יְכַלְכֵּל (זכריה יא, טז), פירוש השה החולה העומדת במקומרה שלא תוכל לזוז. וַיָּבֹא גַם־הַנִּצָּב אַחַר הַלַּהַב (שופטים ג, כב) הוא יד הסכין שהוא מעמיד הסכין להיות לן יד לחתוך בו. וכן וּלְהַצִּיב הַדָּֽרְבָֽן (שמואל א' יג, כא) פירוש ולהעמיד הדרבן כלומר כי בפצירה פים היה מתקן כל הכלים האלה והיה מעמיד בו הדרבן שהיה מחדרו ומלטשו בו. ויתכן רוב אלה שכתבנו הנה משרש יָצַב כמו שכתבנו שמה דומיהם אלא שאין הכרע.
צ-י-ן
Its sense is that of a מצבה, a standing stone set over a grave or as a sign on the roads.
The pesukim, and the pattern
מָה הַצִּיּוּן הַלָּז (Melachim II 23:17), what is that marker; וּבָנָה אֶצְלוֹ צִיּוּן (Yechezkel 39:15), he shall build a marker beside it; and הַצִּיבִי לָךְ צִיֻּנִים (Yirmiyahu 31:20), set up markers for yourself. The word is on the pattern of חִבֻּק יָדַיִם (Mishlei 6:10), a folding of the hands.
מָה הַצִּיּוּן הַלָּז (מלכים ב' כג, יז), וּבָנָה אֶצְלוֹ צִיּוּן (יחזקאל לט, טו), בפלס חִבֻּק יָדַיִם (משלי ו, י). הַצִּיבִי לָךְ צִיֻּנִים (ירמיה לא, כ), ענינם כענין מצבה שמשימין אותו על הקבר או לאות על הדרכים.
Radak, Sefer HaShorashim, Berlin 1847. Public domain, digitised by Sefaria from the National Library of Israel.
Sources
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "On the Tombstone," What's in a Word?, Ohr Somayach, 28 April 2018.
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "Parshas Bo: Please Stand Up," What's in a Word?, Ohr Somayach, 28 January 2023.
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein, "On the Tombstone," What's in a Word? Synonyms in the Hebrew Language (book manuscript).
Cited in the essay: Bereishis 23:8 (Rashi) and 35:20; Shemos 31:17; Vayikra 21:1 to 4; Melachim II 23:17; Yechezkel 39:15; Tehillim 95:7; Shekalim 2:5; Ohalos 7:1; Moed Katan 28a; Sanhedrin 98a; Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky, Gesher HaChaim; Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich; Rabbi Moshe Shick; Rabbi Asher Pollak; Rabbi Eliyahu Katz; Rabbi Shlomo Aharon Wertheimer, Beiurei Shemos Nirdafim s.v. יצב, עמד and קם; Shekalim 2:5 with the Meleches Shlomo and the Hon Ashir.