Western Wall - Tues., 4/8/08

Many Americans know this stop as the Wailing Wall but that is not a Jewish name. Jews refer to it as The Western Wall or simply The Wall. The Jews hold this section of the Temple Mount wall to be sacred as it is the spot closest to where the Holy of Holies once was inside the First and Second Temples. I thought this would be a special time even though I don't share in some of these particular Jewish beliefs but I have to say when I got there all I felt was sorrow. My first wave of sorrow came as I read a sign after going through airport type security that asked people to please be respectful and prayerful as they approached the wall as it was "the place of the Divine Presence." How sad to believe that you must approach a rock wall in order to be near the Divine Presence, near to God. I fully believe that God once made His dwelling at a spot on the Mount but He is no longer there. He is not at The Wall anymore than He is at our home in Missouri. I stayed a few feet away from the wall rather than push my way up. I felt it more appropriate that way and to leave the few spots for Jewish worshippers.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him;

for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

One thing I did find cool was the presence of soldiers. They weren't just there for security but because they were having a special ceremony at The Wall later on that evening as several young people were being inducted into the Army. It is surreal however to see a little old Jewish granny bowing to the wall in prayer next to a young woman in her fatigues with an M-16 strapped across her back. The men and women are separated and Jimmy had the camera on his side of the fence so I'm afraid I couldn't get a picture of that particular scene. Jimmy did get some good shots though.

Ah! Here, Jimmy took a picture of the girls away from the wall up in the common area...