The piety of Baruch and the great favor he enjoyed with God were made
known to later generations many years after his death, through the
marvellous occurrences connected with his tomb. Once a Babylonian
prince commanded a Jew, Rabbi Solomon by name, to show him the grave of
Ezekiel, concerning which he had heard many remarkable tales. The Jew
advised the prince first to enter the tomb of Baruch, which adjoined
that of Ezekiel. Having succeeded in this, he might attempt the same
with the tomb of Ezekiel, the teacher of Baruch. (72) In the presence
of his grandees and his people the prince tried to open the grave of
Baruch, but his efforts were fruitless. Whosoever touched it, was at
once stricken dead. An old Arab advised the prince to call upon the
Jews to gain entrance for him, seeing that Baruch had been a Jew, and
his books were still being studied by Jews. The Jews prepared
themselves by fasts, prayers, penitence, and almsgiving, and they
succeeded in opening the grave without a mishap. Baruch was found lying
on marble bier, and the appearance of the corpse was as though he had
only then passed away. (73) The prince ordered the bier to be brought
to the city, and the body to be entombed there. He thought it was not
seemly that Ezekiel and Baruch should rest in the same grave. But the
bearers found it impossible to remove the bier more than two thousands
ells from the original grave; not even with the help of numerous
draught-animals could it be urged a single step further. Following the
advice of Rabbi Solomon, the prince resolved to enter the bier on the
spot they had reached and also to erect an academy there. These
miraculous happenings induced the prince to go to Mecca. There he
became convinced of the falseness of Mohammedanism, of which he had
hitherto been an adherent, and he converted to Judaism, he and his
whole court.
Near the grave of Baruch there grows a species of grass whose leaves
are covered with gold dust. As the sheen of the gold is not readily
noticeable by day, the people seek out the place at night, mark the
very spot on which the grass grows, and return by day and gather it.
(74)
Not less famous is the tomb of Ezekiel, at a distance of two thousand
ells from Baruch's. It is overarched by a beautiful mausoleum erected
by King Jeconiah after Evil-merodach had released him from captivity.
The mausoleum existed down to the middle ages, and it bore on its walls
the names of the thirty-five thousand Jews who assisted Jeconiah in
erecting the monument. It was the scene of many miracles. When great
crowds of people journeyed thither to pay reverence to the memory of
the prophet, the little low gate in the wall surrounding the grave
enlarged in width and height to admit all who desired to enter. Once a
prince vowed to give a colt to the grave of the prophet, if but his
mare which had been sterile would bear one. When his wish was
fulfilled, however, he did not keep his promise. But the filly ran a
distance equal to a four days' journey to the tomb, and his owner could
not recover it until he deposited his value in silver upon the grace.
When people went on long journeys, they were in the habit of carrying
their treasures to the grave of the prophet, and beseeching him to let
none but the rightful heirs remove them thence. The prophet always
granted their petition. Once when an attempt was made to take some
books from the grave of Ezekiel, the ravager suddenly became sick and
blind. For a time a pillar of fire, visible at a great distance, rose
above the grave of the prophet, but it disappeared in consequence of
the unseemly conduct of the pilgrims who resorted thither.
Not far from the grave of Ezekiel was the grave of Barozak, who once
appeared to a rich Jew in a dream. He spoke: "I am Barozak, one of the
princes who were led into captivity with Jeremiah. I am one of the
just. If thou wilt erect a handsome mausoleum for me, thou wilt be
blessed with progeny." The Jew did as he had been bidden, and he who
had been childless, shortly after became a father. (75)