Cased vial of earth from the Land of Israel (afar) for burial

This small reserve of earth from the Holy Land (afar) was placed in the coffin or upon the eyes of the deceased at burial, a custom widespread throughout the diaspora. The practice expresses the deceased's profound attachment to the Land of Israel and the belief in the future resurrection, which would begin with the bones buried in holy earth. Kept in a pouch or case until the moment of the funeral, this earth was imported and carefully preserved by families and burial confraternities. An object of the burial rite, it embodies the unbreakable bond between the diaspora and the Land of Israel even in death.