Is the Western Wall Part of the Jewish Temple?

The last remaining wall of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall, or the Kotel, the Hebrew word for wall) is one of the last remaining walls of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

Why is the western wall important to Israel?

Spiritual Significance of the Kotel. Specifically the Western Wall, because the Holy of Holies was on the west side of the Temple. “This is the Western Wall of the Temple, which is never destroyed because the Shechina is in the west.”. The holiness of the Western Wall is due to its close proximity to the Temple area.

When did Jews start praying at the western wall?

In the mid-11th-century, Jews prayed at all of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount. The Western Wall was not accorded any preference. An eleventh-century document, found in the Cairo Geniza describes how Jewish pilgrims frequently circled the Temple Mount (from the outside), stopping at each of the gates to recite specific prayers.

Is the Wailing Wall Part of the Temple Mount?

The Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall, or the Kotel, the Hebrew word for wall) is one of the last remaining walls of the Temple Mount, the elevated plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem that was the site of both ancient Jewish temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism and a place of pilgrimage and prayer.

How old is the western wall in Jerusalem?

The Western Wall is a 2,000-year-old retaining wall built on the western side of the temple mount in Jerusalem. Thus, it is not part of the city walls; it’s not even King Solomon’s original wall on the west side of the temple mount. Rather, it dates from the time of Herod the Great.

Why do Orthodox Jews pray at the western wall?

Called the Ha-Kotel Ha-Ma’aravi in Hebrew, the Western Wall is the site of continual prayer. Many Orthodox Jews write out their prayers on slips of paper and insert them into cracks in the wall; others visit daily to lament the loss of the temple and to recite from the book of Psalms.

Why do the Jews wail at the Wailing Wall?

Many of the orthodox Jews continue that age-old tradition of wailing at the wall. They are wailing because of the destruction of the Temple, but they are awaiting the Messiah to return and usher in the Messianic Era, much of which is described by the Prophet Isaiah. Today, the modern city of Jerusalem has eleven gates.