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The Western Wall
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The Western Wall is a magnificent remnant of the exterior wall of
the Second Temple – the Temple destroyed by Titus. Throughout the long years of
exile, the Jews tried to get as close to sanctity as possible. This bare stone wall
is the one place they could congregate and pray, and it became the “Lesser Temple”,
exemplifying the ancient prayer and aspiration: " O Lord, renew our days as of old"
(Lamentations 5:21).
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The Western Wall praying plaza is an uncovered plaza located at
the foot of an exposed section of the Wall. The plaza is divided into two: The lower
section (adjacent to the Western Wall) is used for prayer, while the upper section
is used for special events and for prayer during the religious festivals, when the
lower section fills up. The lower section is also divided into two: The women’s
section on the right and the men’s section on the left.
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During the Turkish-Ottoman period, the British Mandate and the period
this area was under Jordanian rule, the exposed section of the Wailing Wall was
hidden in a dead-end alley which had a stone wall on its eastern side. Immediately
after the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, the plaza was deepened
and expanded.
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Here - to the Western Wall - is where the worshippers come. Some are conscientious,
and come every day. Some come only occasionally. All stand in awe in the presence
of this remnant of the Temple, silently engaged in communal or individual prayer
in the face of the gateway to heaven, every person and the burdens of his soul.
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The Western Wall is also the site of mass-worship, prayers of supplication,
of thanksgiving and of praise. En-masse blessing of the priests, a symbol of Israeli
sovereignty and commemoration of the glories of the past, are held here annually
on Passover and Sukkoth (The Feast of Tabernacles)
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Official state assemblies on festivals and days of remembrance are held in the upper
section, adjacent to the praying plaza. Here, too, soldiers of the Israel Defense
Force swear allegiance – a symbol of the renewed sovereignty of the People of Israel.
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Thousands of worshippers come to the central praying plaza – on
occasion, more than 50,000 worshippers at one time.
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The southern section of the Western Wall, located in the Davidson Center at the
Ophel Archeological Park, is also exposed. Excavation at its base revealed houses,
shops and the main concourse that ran alongside the Western Wall of the Temple Mount
during the Second Temple period. Robinson’s Arch is visible from here- a remnant
of the royal staircase dating to the reign of King Herod, the remnants of “Beit
Hatkia” and the actual stones felled by the Romans at the time of the destruction
of the Temple.
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The Temple Tunnels are a tour route leading through underground
tunnels along the Western Wall, through Second Temple era rooms, the Hasmonean water
tunnel and the Sertion Pool, the remnants of Wilson’s Arch, Warren’s Gate, a model
of the Second Temple and a topographical model of Mount Moriah.
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The Site List
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