I was just surfing the net the other night, and found an article by someone who was decrying the tradition of visiting the gravesites of Tzaddikim (righteous people) as “voodoo Judaism.” There are many misconceptions about this practice that can lead people to think that it involves something that is (G-d forbid) not Jewish or kosher. The custom of visiting gravesites of righteous people is well-established, and does not involve “worshipping” those who have passed away.
According to the Midrash and the Torah sage, Rashi, when Joshua and Caleb entered the Land of Israel, they went to Hevron to pray at the graves of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah (Rochel has a separate tomb). This strengthened them to resist the influence of their peers who went against Moses and G-d’s plan and said they did not want to enter the Land of Israel because it would be too difficult to conquer the people who lived there. Because of their lack of faith, the entire generation was punished and spent the rest of their lives in the desert. Forty years later, Joshua led the people into the land and was victorious. His simple act of praying at the graves of his ancestors helped give him the strength to accomplish all of these things.
Rashi says “A tzaddik is alive when he is dead and a rasha (a wicked person) is dead when he is alive.” I have had the great blessing to visit many gravesites of tzaddikim and the vitality I have felt at these places is tremendous. It is ironic that the grave of a tzaddik can give so much life and energy to the people who pray there. A tzaddik can accomplish as much for the world after he has passed away as he did while he was alive (a tzaddik can be a female too…I just didn’t want to add all the “shes” to the last sentence!) When we pray at the gravesite, we are not praying to the tzaddik, but the effect is similar to the common formula in prayer when we say “G-d of our fathers” or “G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” We are appealing to G-d on behalf of truly righteous people, that hopefully, their good deeds and merits will help our prayers to be heard.