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You are here: Home / middle east / The Two Sides to the Western Wall

The Two Sides to the Western Wall

last Updated: April 24, 2018
israel

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Literally.  There are two sides to the Western Wall.  Every wall must have two sides.  Right?  The area in front of the wall, and the area behind the wall…. but you could have told me that.

After some history lessons in the Jewish Quarter, the group set out to explore the Kotel, which is arguably the most sacred site of the Jewish faith (besides the Temple Mount itself of course).  It is commonly believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE, and I was flabbergasted how well it has been preserved.  The wall is simply gorgeous and faces a large plaza that is set aside for prayer.
 

This experience was like no other; I thought I knew how much this wall affects those around it.  C’mon, I have 10 years of Sunday School under my belt!  That must account for something!  I took out my slip of paper, wrote my prayer to God, and walked up to the Kotel.  Boy, was every nook and cranny literally stuffed with meaningful and significant prayers. Some even on bubble gum wrappers!

I placed my written prayer into a crevice of the wall.  I looked around; people from numerous religious faiths were meditating on this 187 foot exposed section of the ancient wall. “I am part of something big and powerful”, I thought.

The act of placing your prayer note into a crack or crevice of the Western wall is an experience that simply cannot be felt by the words in any textbook or sitting at a desk in any classroom.

More than a million notes are placed into the nooks and crannies of the wall each year.  If physical presence at the wall is simply not an option, the opportunity to e-mail notes is offered by a number of organizations.  Look at what technology can do!  From your iPad to God, in lightening speed!


“Jews may often be seen sitting for hours at the Wailing-place bent in     sorrowful meditation over the history of their race, and repeating often    times the words of the Seventy-ninth Psalm. On Fridays especially, Jews of both genders, of all ages, and from all countries, assemble in large       numbers to kiss the sacred stones and weep outside the precincts they    may not enter.”                                                                                           

Charles Wilson, 1881. (Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 41).                       

I think that quote really sums how just how powerful this wall really is.  Herod the Great didn’t construct this 62-foot high limestone wall for nothing! 
The Kotel has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries.

Some fun facts about this incredibly sacred wall:

  • The Kotel, The Western Wall, and The Wailing Wall all refer to the same “wall”.
  • The exposed section of the wall, the 187 feet that is used for prayer, only encompasses a small portion of the wall’s entirety, of 1,600 feet.  This remaining wall structure is hidden behind residential areas.
  • The wall has been a site of violence between parties fighting for the rights of the wall for centuries beyond centuries.
  • Another much shorter section, about 25 feet, is known as the Little Western Wall, and is found in the Muslim Quarter.
  • The practice of placing prayer notes into the nooks and crannies of the wall began over 300 years ago.
  • These notes are collected twice a year and are buried in the Jewish cemetery on the nearby Mount of Olives.

And now on to the other side: The Jewish Archeological Park


When people visit the Western Wall, most head straight to the north side, basically passing right by the history and importance that the south has to offer.
After our powerful morning slipping prayer notes into the Kotel, we literally walked to the other side.  The other side of the wall.  Where we had just placed our notes.

 

With over 5,000 years of history to cover, our guide did a pretty good job of breaking it down for our already tired group.
 
I won’t get into details, simply because I cant (too much sun and a lack of water really takes a toll on my brainpower, or memory for that matter).
 


Enjoy the pictures! 🙂

Just on the other side of this wall, are thousands upon thousands of hand-written notes and prayers to God.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, please consider sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or via Email. Also, I’d love to keep sending you updates about my adventures around the world, so please subscribe to A Passion and A Passport via RSS or by email!

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