Magic of the Kotel: Narration of my first hand experience at the Western wall on a Shabbat day.
The western wall is a Jewish religious site in the Jewish Quarter of the old city of Jerusalem. The wall itself dates from the end of the Second Temple period, being constructed around 19 BCE. It is often referred to as the Wailing Wall, in connection with Jewish practice of coming to the site to mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple.
The disputes over the wall date back to the destruction and not until the 6-day war of 1967 did the Jews get an unrestricted access to the Wall. Even today, there are numerous disputes, the latest one erupted in 2004 when a stairway was being built to approach the Temple mount, which falls on the ‘other’ side of the wall, i.e. Muslim Quarter. Wikipedia has a fantastic blurb on the history of this place.
Why is it called The Wailing wall?
In Judaism, the Western Wall is venerated as the sole remnant of the Holy Temple that stood here. It is actually a remnant of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the “Wailing Wall” by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament the loss of their temple.
Praying:
It is thought by Jews to be the most sacred of places, because the temple itself was thought to be the place where God resides on earth. Praying at the Wailing Wall signifies being in the presence of the Divine. Jews from all countries, and as well as tourists of other religious backgrounds, come to pray at the wall, where it is said one immediately has the “ear of god.” There is a much publicised practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers into the crevices of the Wall. It’s as if the Buddhist prayer flags that carry the prayers all around.
Since I already wrote an intimate personal experience at this place, this post is mostly informative. Here I am reproducing a snippet.
[…]It was a sea of people at the Western Wall plaza, predominantly dressed in black. Honestly, I hadn’t seen so many people at the same time since I left India about a year back. I was also a little shocked to see many young soldiers with huge guns at the entrance, a sight so ubiquitous in Israel that I didn’t notice it after a few days![…]
[…]This was the wall whose pictures had mesmerized me for months, and finally I was standing right in front of it. Ok what should I do now?
Nothing complicated, I did what anyone else would do – touch the wall. I was picturing a bolt of divine energy zapping into me or me getting transformed suddenly to some other dimension, but (alas) nothing such happened.[…]
People praying at the Synagogue attached to he Western Wall
Western Wall Tunnels:
The Western Wall Tunnel is an underground tunnel exposing the Western Wall in its full length. The tunnel is adjacent to the Western Wall and is located under buildings of the Old City. A free tour can be booked via the Kotel tunnels website. It is very heartening to see the profound history of this place, excavated as early as 1987. The kotel tunnels tour is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to understand the wall closely.
A soldier and a civilian: Mourning / Praying at the Wailing wall
Visitors:
The Western wall is situated very much in the Old city (see map here.)
Visitors of all religions are welcome to approach the Wall and to pray silently beside it. Men who would like to go to the wall must wear a hat or take a free head covering (kippah) from a box beside the entrance to the prayer area. I don’t know the requirements for women but I would presume that they are expected to dress conservatively. Pictures cannot be taken on Shabbat day (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) but a shabbath experience at the Kotel is highly recommended. I visited this wall on three separate occasions and I would love to go there again. The whole place has a buzz of energy about it.
View of the Kotel plaza from the path that spirals up to the Dome of the Rock
This post concludes my travels in the Old city of Jerusalem – one city, three faiths. You might be (I was completely) surprised at how closely the religious structures of these Abrahamic religions are located to each other inside the old city. There is a battering religious environment everywhere you go 🙂
That was an excellent comprehensive post! informative!
Thanks Matt 🙂
Very interesting, I would love to go on the tour, so rich in history, you have seen a lot for your years my friend.
Bob:
Thanks, and I feel so undertraveled compared to other people 😉
Hi, beautiful pictures and what an interesting story. Muslims have really caused problems everywhere. Even our own Ayodhya temple, the birth place of Rama was demolished and a mosque was built. We must correct history at all these places.
And there are so many more places in India where Hindu structures have been destroyed systematically. Do you know any temple remaining in Pakistan? We are excessively accommodating to these outsiders.
Akhilesh:
History of some cultures is written in blood. It is part and parcel of human civilization. While Muslims have for centuries destroyed Hindu temples, the reverse never happened and we must be proud of our tolerance.
Secondly, we don’t know were Rama was born (only the fundamentalists seem to have all details.) Since we believe God is omnipresent (निर् गुण, निराकार ), the physical location is irrelevant to me.
Finally, I don’t know, since 5000 BC we are having a tolerant culture, welcoming anyone who came – Aryans, Christians, Muslims, Parsis, Jews, giving birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, never invaded neighbors… and suddenly now I think the Hindu hardliners are brainwashed by Talibanist intolerance. This has no place in our culture.
Anyway, after that long comment, I am afraid I cannot let this topic to be discussed further as it is irrelevant to the post. Thankyou for your opinions.
Priyank — the Western Wall Tunnel Tour is not free, and generally must be booked ahead by weeks, but is absolutely worth doing. My adult daughter and I took it recently, and she found it a far more spiritually moving experience than the above-ground wall. From an archeological and architectural perspective, the tour is really excellent.
AZZenny:
Thanks 🙂
I stand corrected, the tour is not free, I don’t remember the cost, but it wasn’t much. Also I don’t remember if I got lower price due to my student card.
The tour was very spiritual experience indeed. The tour guide tells little stories and that makes the feeling intense.