The Wailing Wall- The Last Remaining Remnant of Their Temple

Driving Around Jerusalem,  Al-Aqsa Mosque Towers Above the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount,
Sandstorm is Clearing, but Still Visible in the Air

Our first stop of the day was to the Wailing Wall, one of Israel's most holy sites.  Approaching our destination, we were able to see Old Jerusalem and the Temple Mount walls up close for the first time.  Seeing the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque towering over where the original Temple of God was built, sent shivers of injustice up my spine.  Spiritual Darkness hung heavy in the air - like the sandstorm of yesterday.

Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the "Wailing Wall" as it has come to be known by Gentiles, got its name from the Jewish men and women who come there to lament over the destruction of their glorious Temple and to hope for its reconstruction someday.

Men Gathering at the Western Wall to Pray and Read the Torah

When Rome destroyed the Temple and raised the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Western Wall was the only structure left standing.  It must have seemed insignificant to the Romans or they certainly would have destroyed it too. After all, in the eyes of the Romans, it was not even part of the Temple structure itself, but was part of the wall surrounding the Temple Mount.  However, it has become the most significant and sacred place to the Jewish people.

Hasidic Jews Walking in the Western Wall Complex

This wall, more favorably called the Western Wall or the Kotel by our Jewish friends, is a remnant of the wall surrounding the Temple on the Western side.   Over half the wall, including 17 courses of stone under street level, are stones that were set in place by King Herod the Great, during the second Temple period, around 19 BC.  It attracts Jews from around the world to pray because this portion of the wall was the closest to the Holy of Holies where the Lord dwelt in His Temple.  They feel it is the closest physically that they can get to His Divine Presence.

Women Praying, Trying to Be as Close as Physically Possible to the Wall,
Often Pressing Their Faces Against  Its Stones

The Western wall actually functions as a retaining wall, built by Herod the Great to support his renovations in 19 BC. that expanded the natural plateau on which the First and Second Temples stood to the extensive Temple Mount that we see today.  Most of the enormous limestone blocks in the wall weigh between 2 and 8 tons each, but there are several much, much larger, with one extraordinary stone weighing more than 570 tons!  Just to give you a comparison, the largest stone in the Great Pyramid is 11 tons.

Jewish Women Praying at the Wailing Wall

During the more than 1000 years that Jerusalem was under Muslim rule, they used the wall as a dumping ground for trash to desecrate the area and humiliate the Jews who came to visit.  When Israel reclaimed Jerusalem in 1967, they constructed a large plaza facing the Western Wall to provide a proper place for prayer. This Wall and the Temple site above it continue to be a bed of contention between the Jews and the Muslims.

Our Family Gathered in the Western Wall Plaza

When approaching the wall to pray, men must always cover their heads in reverence and humility.  Many wear their yarmulke and if you visit the Western Wall as a tourist, they provide you with paper yarmulkes for this purpose.  Many men come with their blue and white prayer shawls, also used to cover their heads and shoulders as they come near this holy place.

Phylacteries and Traditional Prayer Shawl

Also, out of reverence, they never turn their backs to the Wall.  This would be a sign of disrespect.  Instead, when they are finished praying,  they slowly back up occasionally glancing behind them to avoid bumping into their neighbor.

In the Western Wall Plaza, there are stations with water fountains of sorts for the purpose of ceremonially washing up before prayer.

Preparations - A Vessel for Cleansing

Ceremonial Washing Before Prayer

Many devout Jews wear phylacteries, which are small leather boxes containing portions of the Law written on Vellum.  They bind these around their heads and on their hands to remind them to keep the Law.  The word phylactery comes from a word meaning "to guard", perhaps intending to guard against sin. It is from the Scriptures in Deuteronomy 6 that they derive this practice of wearing phylacteries. (Bind them - God's Law- as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.)

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Some Dress More Contemporary, Others More Traditional, and Still Others More Orthodox

The men and women pray separately, divided by a partition known as the Mechitza.  The men have a larger area along the Wall, closer to the Holiest of Holies.  The men gather to pray and to read from the Torah.  The women may pray and read from prayer books, but they are forbidden by law to read from the Torah. While the length of the wall we see in the Prayer Plaza is 187 feet, those praying tend to congregate as far left as possible, knowing that the most sacred of spots is located in that direction.

Men and Women Worship/Pray Separately - Dividing Partition Known as a Mechitza

While the men are required to cover their heads when approaching the Wall to pray, the women have requirements for modesty as well.  It is a sign of reverence and respect to be clothed modestly.  No sleeveless tops, shorts, or short skirts are allowed.  Our group was forewarned and so encountered no problems, but at the entrance to the Plaza, they often provide long wrap around skirts for unknowing tourists who are ill prepared and improperly clothed.  It is not a requirement, but most of the Jewish women wear head coverings too.

Women Standing at the Wall to Pray

Believing that God dwelt in the Holy of Holies, part of the Jewish Temple, the Jewish people feel their prayers are heard best when prayed near the wall closest to where God dwells.  One rabbi in Jerusalem once said that the Hebrew expression, "The Wall has ears," was said of the Western Wall. It has been a practice of Jewish people (and really all people) from around the world to write their prayers or wishes on a small scrap of paper and to insert it in one of the tiny cracks in the wall.  If you look closely, you will see thousands of prayers tucked into these crevices.  And now, there is a way for you to send your prayers to the Western Wall (for a fee, I am sure) via the Internet where they are printed and inserted on your behalf.

Prayers and Wishes Written on Paper are Rolled Up or Folded and Inserted in the Wailing Wall

Women Rest on Plastic Lawn Chairs Scooted Close to the Wall to Read Prayer Books