The Western Wall, Wailing Wall, or Kotel, known in Islam as the Buraq Wall, is
an ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.
It is a relatively small segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall, known
also in its entirety as the "Western Wall."
The Western Wall is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount.
Because of the Temple Mount entry restrictions, the Wall is the holiest place
where Jews are permitted to pray, though the holiest site in the Jewish faith
lies behind it.
|
Western Wall.
Just over half the wall's total height, including its 17 courses located
below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, and
is believed to have been begun by Herod the Great.
-
The very large stone blocks of the lower courses are Herodian, the
courses of medium-sized stones above them were added during the
Umayyad period, while the small stones of the uppermost courses are of
more recent date, especially from the Ottoman period.
|
|
Western Wall.
The separate areas for men (left) and women (right).
|
|
Using the Kippah.
A kippah, or yarmulke, is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth,
traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement
that the head be covered.
- It is worn by men in Orthodox communities at all times.
-
Among non-Orthodox communities most people who wear them customarily
do so only during prayer, while attending a synagogue or in other
rituals.
-
See more at
Kippah - Wikipedia.
|
|
Prayer at the Wall.
The term Western Wall commonly refers to a 57 m (187 ft) exposed section
of a much longer retaining wall, built by Herod on the western flank of
the Temple Mount. Only when used in this sense is it synonymous with the
term Wailing Wall. This section faces a large plaza and is set aside for
prayer.
-
The Sages of the Talmud stated that anyone who prays at the Temple in
Jerusalem, "it is as if he has prayed before the throne of glory
because the gate of heaven is situated there and it is open to hear
prayer."
-
Jewish Law stipulates that the Silent Prayer should be recited facing
towards Jerusalem, the Temple and ultimately the Holy of Holies, as
God's bounty and blessing emanates from that spot.
-
It is generally believed that prayer by the Western Wall is
particularly beneficial since it was that wall which was situated
closest to the Holy of Holies.
|
|
Placing notes in the Western Wall.
There is a much publicised practice of placing slips of paper containing
written prayers into the crevices of the Wall.
-
The earliest account of this practice is attributed to Rabbi Chaim ibn
Attar, (d. 1743).
-
More than a million notes are placed each year and the opportunity to
e-mail notes is offered by a number of organisations.
-
It has become customary for visiting dignitaries to place notes too.
-
See more at
Placing notes in the Western Wall - Wikipedia.
|
|
Disposal of notes.
According to Jewish law, prayer notes may not be thrown away; there is a
difference of opinion as to whether they should be burned or buried.
-
According to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and
author of Minhagei HaKotel, a book of halakhot about the Western Wall,
burning is a "pure" way to deal with the notes, but burying them is
more honorable.
-
Rabinowitz further states that the letters are buried because they
have the status of letters to God.
-
Twice a year, ahead of Rosh Hashanah and Passover, Rabinowitz and his
assistants collect the notes left in the Wall and bury them in the
Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
-
See more at
Placing notes in the Western Wall, Disposal of notes - Wikipedia.
|
|
Chabad tefillin stand.
Shortly after the Western Wall came under Israeli control in 1967, a
stand of the Chabad movement offering phylacteries (tefillin) was
erected with permission from Rabbi Yehuda Meir Getz, the first rabbi of
the Kotel.
-
The stand offers male visitors the chance to put on tefillin, a daily
Jewish prayer ritual.
-
In the months following the Six-Day War an estimated 400,000 Jews
observed this ritual at the stand.
-
The stand is staffed by multilingual Chabad volunteers and an
estimated 100,000 male visitors put on tefillin there annually.
|
|
Wilson's Arch area.
In 2005, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation initiated a major
renovation effort under Rabbi-of-the-Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch.
-
Its goal was to renovate and restructure the area within Wilson's
Arch, the covered area to the left of worshipers facing the Wall in
the open prayer plaza, in order to increase access for visitors and
for prayer.
-
The restoration to the men's section included a Torah ark that can
house over 100 Torah scrolls, in addition to new bookshelves, a
library, heating for the winter, and air conditioning for the summer.
-
See more at
Wilson's Arch (Jerusalem) - Wikipedia.
|
|
Torah Ark inside men's section of Wilson's Arch.
|
See also
Source
Location
