THE WALL
My wife Sarah approached the infamous “Western Wall” during our first trip to Israel in 2016. Winding her way through a sea of devout Jewish women, she clung tightly to a small piece of paper, a handwritten prayer that, according to tradition, she intended to wedge into a small crevice in the Wall.
As she reached the wall, the sounds of wailing and prayer filled the air around her, then she heard something else: a sniffle, a whisper, and a soft whimper. A young woman, resting her head on her arm in exhaustion, was pouring her heart out to God. She seemed content to remain in the embrace of that stone as if it were the very arms of her Abba. The moment was sacred, but in a desire to not keep it to herself, Sarah quietly captured the stunning photo above.
I’m so glad she did!
As a child, I was familiar with “The Wailing Wall”, simply believing it to be the place where Jewish People chose to express their sorrow about all the sad things that had happened to them. But, its meaning goes much deeper: symbolically and literally.
The Western Wall, as it’s commonly called (haKotel in Hebrew), is the only wall in Jerusalem’s Temple complex that wasn’t destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Today, it is the closest location to the Holy of Holies (where God’s Presence dwelt within the Temple) where Jews and Christians can freely pray to God.
It still amazes me to think I’ve actually run my fingers along the massive monolithic stones that served as the Temple’s foundation, accessible via the underground tunnels. I’ve reached up, within those tunnels, and touched the corner of a gigantic square block that burst through the floor above (like an upside-down pyramid), in the very place where it landed 1,955 years ago when Roman soldiers hurled it from its lofty position, just as Jesus prophesied!
It was here, on “The Mountain of the House” that King Solomon asked God to hear and answer both the prayers of Israel and traveling foreigners alike!
“When a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from Heaven Your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the Earth may know Your name and fear You…”
King Solomon’s Prayer - 2 Chron 6:32-33
I’ll admit, I used to be uneasy by what appeared to be a mystic practice or even idolatry: to go to a wall and seemingly pray to it. And yet, with that said, I always admired the Prophet Daniel, choosing to pray at his window, the traditional three times a day, facing the Temple in Jerusalem! Sunday Mornings at church, I actively participate in the traditional gesture of extending my hand in prayer toward a person. Occasionally, I even stand outside my boys’ bedrooms as they sleep, offering prayers of blessing and protection, with my hand placed on their doors.
It’s a symbolic gesture that focuses my heart, mind, and strength.
The peaceful Kotel late at night
One evening in June of 2019, I took my 10-year-old son Nick to The Wall for the first time, along with my friend Joshua Aaron. We walked down the cobblestone alleyways of the Via Dolorosa, past the shops displaying t-shirts and pastries as they closed down for the night. Eventually we emerged at the top of a wide, open-air, stone staircase, with the entire Western Wall illuminated before us, its golden glow in stark contrast to the black sky above.
As we descended the stairs, Joshua explained to my son that God’s Holy Temple used to sit just on the other side of this wall! The Ark of the Covenant was inside containing the Two Tablets, Aaron’s Staff that had budded, and even a bowl of manna! He explained that when we pray, we’re not praying to the Wall, but to the God of Israel. Nick listened to every word with a subtle smile on his face, his eyes a little wider than usual.
“The presence of God,” Joshua smiled, “Literally, the Bible says that the presence of God was literally there!”
Nick slowed his pace for just a moment, as if he was debating whether or not he should remove his shoes…
Joshua continued, “So before you go up to the Temple, you have to wash! There’s a mikveh… you know how we do baptism?”
Nicky nodded his head, walking forward with increased confidence...
“It’s like that, washing our hands is a symbol of being cleansed on the inside!”
“Who can ascend the hill of the LORD? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” - Psalm 24:3-4
We approached the ornate, stone, wash-basin and lifted the ritual, stainless-steel lavers to pour the cold water over our hands. I watched as my young son was careful to rinse each hand, up to his wrists, one after the other, until the basin was empty. As he did, Joshua prayed the traditional prayer, blessing God for teaching us to wash our hands!
We covered our heads with the complementary white kippot, then with reverence toward the God of Israel, the Keeper of Promises, the Creator of the Universe Who says His eye is ever on this city and this Place, I led my son to the wall. We laid our hands on the warm, rugged stone, and I offered up a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, for the sons and daughters of Abraham, for Yeshua the Messiah to come quickly and begin His Eternal Reign from this place! To establish His Kingdom of justice and mercy on the Earth! I prayed for the health of my boy who had such severe allergies, and for the well-being of my whole family. I prayed for the people praying around me…
Then, I lingered in silence…for as long as I thought a 10-year-old could handle…
Then, out of respect for tradition, we quietly and carefully stepped away, not turning our backs on this set-apart place, where the Lord of Hosts will reign as King for a thousand years…
And although we know the King of the Universe resides in our hearts, this foreigner longs to return and pray toward this House once more. LORD willing, my son will join me again, this time as a 17-year-old. He’ll bring with him a simple scrap of paper, a new prayer written on it, adding to humanity’s outcry for our God to make all things new.
