Maariv at the Kotel

A religious tourist will visit a number of sites in Israel and one of the most popular and universality recognized, the Kotel is the Western Wall. It is the remnants of an outer retaining wall of the Second Temple build by Herod the Great in 19 BC. Positioned in the western flank of the Temple Mount, its pseudonym is the “Wailing Wall” for it is not uncommon for a pious Jew to publicly mourn the loss of the second temple. Being a religious tourist site and unlike the majority of the Old City, the Kotel is extremely organized and Disney-esque. One evening with my three roommates and a fellow student, we prayed maariv, or the evening prayer, at the Kotel. It was mid-evening – leaning towards the waning hours of the time for maariv, so the Kotel was not amass of people. Various minyans, group of ten Jewish men necessary to conduct a prayer service, were formed and maariv was performed. Since it was evening, bright lights flooded the Kotel illuminating the textures and age of this biblical wall.

According to tradition, this is one of the holiest places in Judaism for it is the location where “heaven and earth meet.” Therefore, your prayers are more readily to God’s ears. The idea of a holy place is not uncommon to religion but it is uncommon in Judaism. It seems that the emphasis is more on a holy “time”, like Shabbat, rather than a holy place for there are limited prohibition of the location for Jewish prayer. With this concept of a holy place, it is customary for a Jew to either recite or compose a special prayer at the foot of the wall. Within the reachable cracks, small pieces of paper of written prayers rolled tightly into small scrolls. As one looks down the wall, it is densely strewn with both praying men and a mélange of multi-colored written prayers.

As I approached the Kotel and rested my head against it, I experienced awash of emotions. At first, it felt contrived so I resisted the feelings. As I quietly recited my personal special prayer, I felt disoriented and hazy. Contrived or sincere, I allowed the experience to wash over me. I reflected on the people that make my life meaningful and I prayed for their happiness and their health. I thought about all of the problems and the worries that I carried from my life in the States and I allowed them to be momentarily lifted. I rested in the space “where heaven meets the earth” in quiet clarity and contemplation.

I also prayed for unicorns to return to the realm of man, because they are bad ass!!