The Western Wall

Today is a Friday, which means that the Jewish Sabbath (or Shabbat) starts at sundown tonight and goes till tomorrow evening. On the Sabbath, Jews do not work. "Work" includes writing, planting, cooking, laundering, cutting any object to a specific size, erasing, building, extinguishing a fire (unless absolutely life-threatening), lighting a fire, etc. So while we were there at the wall we couldn't take photos, use our phones, or have a pen and paper out to write anything. After going through a security check, we were split into men and women. There was a temporary wall going down the middle of the plaza. All the women (and men) were dressed extremely modestly, even the tourists. It felt really good and it was beautiful. Everybody was singing and dancing together--it was interesting to see them so excited but also so reverent at the same location. Individuals would approach the wall with their prayer books in reverence, place their hand on the wall, and read their prayers while rocking back and forth.

We took a prayer book off the pile and read a few pages. There was some information meant to educate non-Jews about the wall and its significance and what they believe and feel about it. Here are some quotes from those pages:

"Prayer is the Jew's channel to connecting with God -- made all the more powerful through communal worship. And nowhere more so than at the very heart of our spiritual yearnings, the Kotel, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, the closest remnant to the Holy Temple that once stood in Jerusalem.

Wherever Jews pray, wherever they are in the world, they face the 'Holy of Holies', the innermost sanctuary of the original Temple, which housed the ark, the Cherubim and was the place of Divine manifestation. Our Sages tell us that it is the holiest place on earth, the site where the Divine Presence of God always dwells.

The Torah tells us that there are three things that can change a person's destiny: prayer, charity and acts of kindness. The power of prayer is such that it can change your life.

Almost every person who comes to the Western Wall reaches out a hand to touch it. When feeling the ancient stones of the Kotel, we sense that we are at the place that bridges the physical with the spiritual; the place where holiness is tangible; where the past, present and future stand before us. Our Sages explain that every prayer that is uttered from our lips ascends to God through the Temple Mount. It is known as the gateway to heaven.

Standing here, at the very place where God's presence is especially manifest, you have the opportunity to truly unit with The Infinite. May [this book] help you to open your heart and experience the beauty and power of prayer.

All stand equal in front of the Wall. Jews sense their Judaism, often for the first time. Touching its stones links us with our nation and heritage, with the Jewish people and our long, turbulent history. Standing at the Wall, perspectives, thoughts and feelings crystallize and the insignificant fades away. The Wall has withstood time; it has witnessed war and peace, destruction and revival. For generations, it has absorbed the prayers and yearnings of those near and far. Today, it is the most visited site in Israel."

We rode back to the center on buses because it isn't safe to walk back after dark.