ואני בבאי מפדן מתה עלי רחל (ויחי מח:ז)

Our forefather Ya’akov, when he was finally arriving home after 22 years of hardships, just then lost his wife Rachel in childbirth and buried her near Beis Lechem, what we know as Kever Rochel – the burial place of Rachel until this day.

Here is a fascinating story relating to this topic:

R’ Avraham Eliezer Neis related what happened to his family in the aftermath of the Holocaust.  When their family was exiled from Poland to Siberia, his father R’ Yaakov z”l – after fervently Davening that he not be forced to eat Chometz on Pesach – even if that meant going hungry for eight days. Indeed, on the morning of Erev Pesach, he left this world and was hastily buried in the snowy steppes of – what was known as “the Cold Hell” – another victim of the Soviet regime.  

R’ Avraham and his sister survived their harrowing ordeal behind the iron curtain and eventually arrived in Eretz Yisroel.  Not long after their arrival, his sister was plagued with terrible dreams that left her sleepless for many nights.  Her father would appear to her each night in a dream and complain bitterly that his body had been floating in the muddy earth since the summer arrived and the ice melted.  He pleaded with his daughter that they needed to bring his body over to Eretz Yisroel for reburial.

His sister was very distraught and traveled to B’nei Brak where she presented her plight to the Chazon Ish zt”l, showing him a picture of her late father.  The Chazon Ish said: “Since your father was a chassid, present your predicament to Reb Aharon of Belz zt”l, who lives in Tel Aviv. He can help you – this situation belongs to him.”

When his sister came to Maran Reb Aharon of Belz, the Rebbe told her: “You should go to Kever Rochel where you should recite a few kapitlach (psalms) of tehillim and donate to the local Kollel in the city where you live.”

Traveling to Kever Rochel at the time was quite dangerous, but it was easier for a Jewish woman to disguise herself, so she took the bus to Beth Lechem (Bethlehem) and entered the tomb of Rochel.  No one was there besides an old Yid.  She wanted to hand him tzedakah before leaving, but he suddenly disappeared.  She davened as Reb Aharon had advised and then returned home, and after a week or so, her dreams stopped.  She returned to report to the Rebbe, who said, “Your father arrived at his final resting place.”