Mourners of Zion (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אְבֵילֵי צִיוֹן, romanized: əḇēlē ṣiyon) is a term used to refer to several Jewish groups through the ages, including:
- A Karaite subsect founded by Daniel al-Kumisi in the late ninth century.
- A later Karaite community living in Jerusalem in the late Middle Ages; they referred to themselves as the Community of Lilies. They may have been exiles who left Jerusalem during the Crusades.
- A Yemeni Jewish group described by Benjamin of Tudela, who said they were referred to as Rechabites. They fasted during the week and lived in caves.
Additionally, this term is vital in a phrase used in the shiva, the Jewish mourning ritual. In mainstream Ashkenazi Judaism, throughout the shiva period, mourners are offered the condolence הַמָּקוֹם יְנַחֵם אֶתְכֶם בְּתוֹךְ שְׁאָר אֲבֵלֵי צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלָיִם "May the Omnipresent (One) comfort you among the remnant mourners of Zion and Jerusalem".
See also
References
- Erder, Yoram (1997). "The Negation of the Exile in the Messianic Doctrine of the Karaite Mourners of Zion". Hebrew Union College Annual. 68: 109–140. ISSN 0360-9049.
- Erder, Yoram (2003-01-01). The Mourners of Zion: The Karaites in Jerusalem in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Brill. pp. 213–235. doi:10.1163/9789004294264_010. ISBN 978-90-04-29426-4. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "ABELE ZION". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.