I can’t remember exactly where
and when I first learned about the Wailing Wall. I’m
sure it was sometime during my childhood. Being an earnest reader of
history books, I came across the fascinating account of Israel, from its birth
of a nation in 1948 to the Israeli-Arab Wars and going back to its ancient
times. Early on, I'm already made aware of its significance as one of the leading emblems of Judaism, and that it also played an integral role in other
religions such as Christianity and Islam.
 |
| The Western Wall is open to people from all faiths to visit and pray |
According to Islamic Traditions, it was at the Western Wall where the Prophet
Muhammad tied his winged steed, Al-Buraq—an Islamic creature that transport
prophets—as he was in the middle of his Night Journey (Israʾ and MiÊ¿raj) in
621. During the 4th century, when Jerusalem came under Christian rule, the
Western Wall was treated with reverence because of its close proximity to Temple
Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Western Wall not the Wailing Wall
While it is more popularly
known among non-Jewish as the Wailing Wall, the long-standing term for the
place is actually the Western Wall or the ha-kotel ha ma'aravi. The term
Wailing Wall originated only in the early 20th century when the British started
using the term after their conquest of Jerusalem.
 |
| Prayers written on small papers are inserted through the gaps on the walls |
A possible explanation of
this goes back to describing the practice of Jews to gather near this part of
Old Jerusalem's wall to weep over the destruction of their temples, during the
Byzantine Empire.
The Holiest Place of Prayer
Located inside Old Jerusalem (a
UNESCO World Heritage Site), it was first built in 19 BCE and measures 1,601
feet in length and 62 feet in height. The first seven layers of the Western
Wall were made from meleke limestone, and dates back to the reign of Herod the
Great—thus making it the same set of stones Jesus laid eyes during his time.
 |
| Saying my prayers |
The wall became a witness to a tumultuous
number of centuries when the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of a myriad
of rulers under the Christians, the Muslims and back to the Jews, and
interchanging empires from the Byzantine, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods to the
British Empire and even under Jordanian rule.
 |
| You can feel the intensity and passion of the Jews praying at the Western Wall |
We visited the Western Wall on
the tail-end of our Holy Land tour. It was a beautiful day when the sun was shining bright but not too hot. As in customary practice, the men and women are allotted
separate partitions of the wall to pray. I walked towards the male section and
joined dozens of Jews in dark suits to pray. At first, I was feeling hesitant
as I fear intruding their space of prayer. A bearded Jewish man might have
sensed my apprehension so he motioned me to approach the wall.
 |
| Save a Prayer for peace, love and empathy |
I did. Being up against the
wall and finally holding a block of meleke limestone, I immediately got lost on my own prayer. Feeling a little emotional, the moment tugged at my heartstrings
as the significance of being in such historical and spiritual place, clad me
wholly over.
 |
| If these walls could talk |
Many people who pray at the wall write their prayers on a small piece paper before inserting them through the gaps on the wall. This is a practice that originated in the early 18th century and influenced by Jewish belief that Divine Presence resides in the Western Wall. Several times a year, these notes are removed and buried on the soils of Mount of Olives. Unfortunately, I forgot a pen and paper, so I was unable to leave a note.
 |
| It was a beautiful day to say a prayer |
After finishing my prayer, I touch the wall one last time. As a gesture of gratitude, I recognize the ripples it created throughout its long-storied history that resulted to innumerable answered prayers — which hopefully, would include my own.
 |
| Shalom, Israel. I hope to be back soon. |
I wonder if I prayed before about visiting the Holy Land. I could not remember. Either way, I expressed gratitude
to the Western Wall for whatever higher power that conspired with the good karma to bring me there.
