How Complex Past Ruins Your Right to Live Well: History of Machpela Cave

Machpela Cave has two other names, and you may pick one of them depending on which religion you believe in. For Christian Orthodox, Christian, and Catholic communities, it is called Cave of The Patriarchs, while it's Me'arat HaMachpela for the Jews. Muslims name it Ibrahimi Mosque. 

In this article I use "Machpela Cave" to refer Cave of The Patriarchs, following how Wikipedia localizes its name for Indonesian audience (it is Gua Makhpela in Indonesian). 

Cave of The Patriarchs is listed as one of tourist destinations and part of West Bank Tour for tourists around the world. Based on visitor reviews in Tripadvisors, you will be asked whether you are a Muslim, Jew, or Christian when you visit this site, as this will determine how far you can have a sightseeing here. 

That's right. Machpela Cave is divided into Jewish and Muslim parts, and there are two entries for each religious believers which is also controlled by the respective communities. 

As for non-Muslim and non-Jewish groups, they can only see the outer part of it. Previously, Christians could enter the site from all gates, but a visitor on Tripadvisors said the rule has changed, and whether there is a new measure regarding the current development remains unknown. 

"In ancestral grave we fight"

And they did and do it, literally. A while ago, people talked about a mass shooting in Cave of Patriarchs and the event that followed during 1994. Truth is, that was not the first atrocity in the sacred site for three religions. 

Cave of The Patriarchs is a small cave where the early biblical Patriarchs (Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and their spouses laid to rest. It used to be a simple memorial until King Herod decided to build wall around the burial site. 

Aerial view of Machpela Cave, source: YouTube/AllAboutJerusalem

There were churches and mosques that built around the holy grave and destroyed by the ones who managed to conquer Jerusalem pre and during Crusade Wars, while the Jews were completely banned from entering the holy grave for a while.  

At the time of the writing, there are separated entrances for the Jews and Muslims, respectively, where the Jews can only enter the site from the southwestern side, while Muslims are allowed to come in form the northwestern site after passing through a mosque in the entrance. 

Both religious groups are not allowed to go through in each other's side, which means Jews cannot enter the Muslims side, and vice versa. 

Since Abraham's and Sarah's cenotaphs are in the southwestern side (while Jacob's and Leah's are in the northwestern side), the Jews cannot pay respect to their ancestors in a near distance (let alone the Christians), except during special days in Jewish religion.  

Why is this matter? It's because Abraham is the first of the Hebrew patriarchs, and among the holy figures in Christianity and Islam. 

Searching for the light

I was born as a Muslim from Muslim parents, and received my first education in a Protestant Christian kindergarten and a Catholic elementary school. Back in the day, it was no big deal for Muslims in my city to get their education in Protestant or Catholic schools. 

Yes, I recited Protestant and Catholic prayers, I entered and sat in their respective churches during schools' events in early years of my life, and still a Muslim today. 

Religions are regarded and seen as equal by the Indonesian laws and ideology, even though some people are worried that this harmony is starting to get eroded these days as some several small groups of religious people believe God will punish them for not doing their belief correctly, as they engage too close with people from different religions. 

From the Cave of Patriarchs saga we can make a conclusion that Judaism is the first religion founded in the region (Palestine-Israel), followed by Christianity, and later Islam. An understanding and recognition of this biblical fact might have played some roles in shaping public opinion on the conflict, too. 

Continuous conflicts also stipulate in forming our perspectives about others; our emotional experience contributes in the process of justifying the way we think about something rather than the actual circumstances about it. A behavior which leads us to prejudice, and worst, hate that obstruct us to feel and figure out how to maintain peace. 

In the past, religion was side by side with political system as a mean to rule society and to guarantee harmonious and regulated daily living among people. Those who cannot stand in dealing with too much freedom will opt religion as a mean to get people complied and creating stability, which are the supposedly direct results of practicing any religion wholeheartedly. 

Finally, it's never too late to ask ourselves whether religious values are still worth, not just for the sake of safety and security, but also saneness of ordinary living individuals which is essential to build a better future for today's and next generations. 

How To Safely Care About Others

Whether we are prepared or not, unexpected tragedies like natural disasters, wars, and other tragic events happen at any time. We feel sad for the victims' suffering as media constantly show the anguish and misery they endure.

Our common response is usually trying the best to help by thinking of solutions, or criticizing the people who are responsible for the victims' pain (for instance, in wars and mass riots).

Typically, when someone is going through a terrible time in life—whether it's because of financial hardship, interpersonal conflicts, heartbreak, losing a job, having a lot of debt, etc.—they look for "medicine" to make them feel better. Sometimes, that "medicine" is expressing empathy to others who are less fortunate than themselves.

As social animals who live among society, it’s absolutely fine to feel compassionate for the pain of others. However, to be able to pass on the good you do to someone else, empathy should be spontaneous and genuine: i.e not expecting something in return, nor aiming to "cure" our own pain.

Furthermore, we don't have to lose empathy if the person we are trying to help turns out to be merely using our kindness for their own benefit, as the person you are donating to still holds out hope that your giving will help them get out of the sticky predicament they are in.

So, does this mean we have to stop empathizing others’ pain? Not really. Just consider the following points below before you decide to help someone:

See the situation as it is

There are layers of stories about why someone could fall and demand assistance from others to get up. Such stories can be quite shocking when we never have to deal with them in life. Anything can happen in this world, just like the day that shifts into night.

Make sure that your imaginations don't wandering around, speculate, or exaggerate everything you see or hear. Develop a habit to keep focusing on what's in front of you rather than what's going through your head.

Illustration source: Pixabay/kiquebg

Delay the reaction

Refrain from responding hastily in every thing and every circumstances. Give yourself time to examine what’s happening in front of you. We have the right to be skeptical, and don't allow anyone to take that from us.

People are in fear of missing out. But, what's even more terrifying is responding incorrectly to something. Do you remember the wave of sanctions that imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine? The inception of it all began with the wave of anger responses from netizens.

Review information from all point of views

Through the mainstream media, we are able to learn about events happening in distant regions of the globe. It is crucial to keep in mind that the mass media does not always report news objectively; among other things, their own political opinions are taken into consideration. Moreover, news produced by the media reflects the viewpoints of the organizations that finance the cause.

We must process information from multiple angles about a depressing occurrence (like a conflict) in order to decide how to feel about it. The thing is that media outlets that do not align with national objectives will marginalized, which makes it challenging for the public to obtain accurate and impartial information.

Do what we can

People’s suffering triggers our sympathy, at some extent, one may feel an extreme sadness because of it. It makes sense when we would want to assist those going through difficulties because, in our hearts, we would also wish to get some help whenever we deal with the same circumstance.

Since there are always going to be risks or consequences associated with the decisions we make, the assistance we give shouldn't make things harder for us later on. Self-control become your compass to gauge how much or how far you can help others in need.

Let go

Forget what you have done to help someone, just like giving a small money to a beggar. Regardless the size of the things you relinquish to become someone else's property, forgetting the good deeds you have done is a way to let go.

Ultimately, we need to get back to our personal lives and responsibilities. Daily routine can be challenging as life's challenges are never the same. We still need to steer our ship with our energy and heart strength to ensure that it doesn't sink in amid all life’s ups and downs. How will you going through this life when you have given your everything to others and nothing left?