Western Wall

Hey Everybody,

During my trip to Israel, we spent three full nights in Jerusalem. The three nights that we stayed were Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The reason that this is important is that the holiest day of the week for Jewish people is the Sabbath, or Saturday.

We went to the Western Wall twice on Friday. The first time was during the afternoon. When we first got there, I wasn't sure what my reaction would be. I was raised Jewish, but did the 13 and out plan.

The 13 and out plan is pretty simple. From around age 6 or 7. (depending on the family) you get put into Hebrew school. There, you learn the history of Judaism, as well as basic Hebrew. At the age of 13 (roughly) you have a bar or bat mitzvah (depending on gender). This ceremony makes you a "man" or "woman" of the community and gives you higher respect. That being said, most people stop going to temple and/or being religious after their ceremony.

I had a very emotional reaction to the Wall. I haven't felt anything as powerful in an extremely long time. To Jews, the Western Wall is one of the (if not the) most powerful and important places in the world. There was a certain energy and spirituality that I had never felt before. I realized that it didn't matter how I raised. The important thing was to see and actually touch this monument to the Jewish people. Millions of people had died for this wall. It was very touching to be there.

The wall is open 24/7. The majority of people at the wall are Ultra-Orthodox Jews. These are the people who curl their hair and can be found all over Williamsburg in Brooklyn. These people study Judaism. There is a huge controversy in Israel with Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

The Ultra-Orthodox do not have to join the Israeli Army. They also don't pay any taxes, and most are pretty poor. They spend their lives studying Judaism and praying. The overwhelming majority of people in Israel are not Ultra-Orthodox, and are angry that their taxes go to helping these people. The issue is more interesting because Israel is a Jewish State. How can the government not support people who are studying the history and importance of Judaism?

The wall is split by sex. About 75% to 80% of the wall is the males, and the remainder for the females. Off to the left side of the wall, there is a tunnel with hundreds of bibles which one can take to pray with. There were old men standing next to teenagers, taken over by the spirit of the prayers. I sat for about 15 minutes to just hear the Hebrew that was spoken.

Once sundown happens, it becomes Shabbat. We went back to the wall after sundown. It was a totally different environment. There was a dramatic increase in the amount of people who were at the wall. During the afternoon, there were probably no more then 500 people. By the time we got there for Shabbat, the number had increased to around 10 to 12 THOUSAND people.

Men were dancing in circles, and they encouraged others to join them. One of the coolest things I've ever done was join a circle with about 100 army troops. It hit me that if I was born in Israel, these people would be my peer group. (I'm going to do a post about the Army in the future). All of them had M16's, and we were dancing in circles. It was a bittersweet moment.

According to our tour guide, the people at the Western Wall spend the night there. Alcohol gets served, and the men get trashed.

It was one of the top 5 experiences of my life, and I'm glad I was part of it.

I believe that if you have the opportunity to be at the Western Wall for Shabbat, you should go. It doesn't matter if you're Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or any other religion. The power that is felt there is nothing like I've ever felt before.

Another post soon,

Z