East of the Ben Gurion International Airport at Lod, near the Arab village of Medeah, is the assumed site of the graves of the Hasmonean heroes of Chanukah, popularly known as the Maccabees.
The actual place where they were buried is shrouded in mystery. In the past some thought it was at Tzova near Jerusalem, while others believed that it was at Latrun. It is only in the last century that researchers have decided that it is near the city of Modi’in, and since then it has become one of the most popular sites for Jewish visitors and for the IDF swearing-in ceremonies.

In the north of Israel near the Hiram Junction is the village of Bar’am where there is a tomb that is believed by many to contain the remains of the Prophet Ovadiah. Bar’am in the Upper Galilee, is the site of two ancient synagogues, one, whose remains are some of the most beautiful and best preserved in the country, and the other, known as the Synagogue of Obadiah the Prophet of which nothing remains but the lintel, discovered in 1861, and preserved today in the Louvre.

Our Talmudic Sages describe Ovadiah as an Edomite proselyte whose prophecy, recorded in the Book of the 12 “Minor Prophets”, is entirely directed against Edom. He managed the household of the idol-worshipping King Achav and Queen Izevel and managed to save a hundred true prophets from their murderous hands by hiding them in two caves and supplying all their needs.

The Prophet Ovadiah was a convert from the religion practiced in Edom. He lived at the time of Eliyahu HaNavi and his disciple, Elisha, and is identified as the Administrator in Achav’s and Izevel’s Palace (”Melachim”/Kings I, 18:3). He is described there as “fearing the L-rd greatly.” Ovadiah’s great merit was that he risked his life to maintain 100 prophets in a cave, providing them with all their needs, at a time that the Prophets were under tremendous pressure and great danger from the Palace. Ovadiah was chosen as the Prophet to deliver the message of Edom’s doom; perhaps because he grew up there and was intimately knowledgeable concerning the conspiracies and evils of the royal, the political and the military complex.

The Book of Ovadiah consists of only one Chapter. Edom had relied on its location to guarantee its protection from attack. But G-d says through Ovadiah,

“The wickedness of your heart enticed you,
Who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is on high and who says,
‘Who will bring me down to earth?’ ”

“If you ascend as an eagle,
And if you place your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down, says the L-rd.” (Ovadiah 1:3-4)

Ovadiah relates the demise of Edom to the hatred and hateful acts perpetrated by Esav/Edom against Yaakov/Yisrael from the beginning of their relationship.

“Shame shall cover you,
And you will be cut off forever.” (Ovadiah 1:10)

And the ones who will bring Esav down will be the descendants of your brother, Yaakov.

“And the house of Yaakov shall be a fire,
And the House of Yoseph a flame,
And the House of Esav shall be as stubble,
And they shall ignite them and consume them,
And the House of Esav shall have no survivors,
For the L-rd has spoken.” (Ovadiah 1:18)

And ultimately, the returning Jewish population from all over the world will displace Esav, and the L-rd’s Kingdom shall prevail.

“And the returning host of the Congregation of Israel,
Who are with the Canaanites as far as ‘Tzorfas’/France,
And the Exile of Jerusalem from as far as “Sepharad”/Spain,
Shall inherit the cities of the Negev;
And saviors shall ascend Mt. Zion,
To judge the mountain of Esav,
And the L-rd shall have the Kingdom.” (Ovadiah 1:20-21)

Today you can visit the synagogue at Bar’am dating back to the 3rd century, a time when the Galilee was the center of Jewish learning and Jewish life. During this era, a number of synagogues were constructed including those at Meron, Gush Halav, Arbel, and Bar’am.