Wailing Wall

The Western Wall (Hebrew: הכותלהמערבי, translit.: HaKotel HaMa' aravi ), called Kotel , is a Wall retaining to Jerusalem - Is dating from the time of the Second Temple (516 before the common era - 70 of the common era). It is also known like the Wailing Wall , although this term, introduced by the British agents, who translated it Arab it-Mabka , fell in disgrace so much in the Jewish mediums than in the Arab mediums, which names it since the years 1920s El-Bourak , the name of the one of the horses of Mohammed when it made its night voyage.

This wall is a vestige of the enclosing wall, set up by Hérode in order to extend the quasi-natural plate on which the Temples of Jerusalem had been built. The 57 meters visible length side is in fact only part of the Western wall, 497 meters length. The remainder of the wall is currently located for a part in the Arab district of the city, used like fourth wall by the contiguous houses, and for the other buried on more than 200 meters. This underground part can be seen by borrowing the underground tunnel which skirts the wall on more than 200 meters.

The Western Wall belongs to a greater religious site of the Old city of Jerusalem, called '' Har haBayit '' by the Jews, Mont of the Temple by the Christians and Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary ) by the Moslems.
Il is révéré by the Jews for his proximity with the Saint of the Saints, located on the Mont of the Temple, which is the holiest place of the Judaïsme. That means that the Western Wall is the holiest place generally accessible to the Jews for the prayer. A small underground room, called " Grotte" , located in the Tunnel of the Western Wall, is even closer to the Holy of Holies, but it cannot be attended by the great groups which request or visits with the Western Wall.

Jewish men and women indeed come to request or collect themselves at any hour near the wall. Many a holy arches containing rollers of the Torah as of the tables to read there was arranged, which makes wall technically large a Synagog with open sky. A partition separating men and women was also installed. The site is frequently selected for celebrations and ceremonies, in particular those of Bar mitzvah, whole world. Many sacrifices to the extremely popular habit although not unanimously approved to deposit layers containing of the wishes or the prayers in the slits and cracks of the wall.

The Western Wall is also an Israeli national symbol, and ceremonies non-intrinsèquement religious are held to with it, in particular the commemoration of the dead soldiers for the fatherland and the victims of terrorism anti-Israeli.

History

According to Judaism' S religious texts, when the legions off Titus destroyed the Temple, only has share off year outer short-yard " western wall" remained standing. Jewish texts teach that Titus left it ace has bitter reminder to the Jews that Rome had vanquished Judea. The Jews, however, attributed it to promised made by God that nap leaves off the holy Temple would Be left standing ace has off sign God' S unbroken jump with the Jewish people in splashes off the catastrophes which had befallen them. -->

Testimony of the destruction of the Temple by the Romans

The Jewish holy place

Karet (Divinely hastened death).

Jews cuts prayed At the Western Wall for hundreds off years, believing that the Divine Presence (Shekhinah) rests upon it and that the spoils off heaven is situated directly above it. The tradition off placing has prayer written one has small part off paper into has ace in the Wall goes back hundreds off years.

Included in the thrice daily Jewish prayers enthusiastic are pleas that God return the Jewish exile off to the Land Israel, rebuild the Temple (i.e., build the Third Temple), and bring the messianic will era with the arrival off the Jewish Messiah. -->

Holy surfaces of restricted access

According to many rabbis, Jews are forbidden to enter some areas off the Temple Mount according to Jewish law. Thesis areas different are defined differently by rabbinic authorities. Nonetheless, almost all approved that the fan-in into the area occupied by the Dome off The Rock'n'roll is forbidden. That same area was ounce occupied by the Temple, which has biblically designated holy place.

The rock'n'roll beneath the Dome off The Rock'n'roll is considered by nap rabbinic Midrash ic texts to Be the foundation from which God created the universe. According to nap rabbinic works, this rock'n'roll was where the Biblical patriarch Isaac was bound by Abraham during his near-sacrifice in the Binding off Isaac. This area was held to Be where the patriarch Jacob slept and dreamt off has ladder going up to heaven with angels going up and down. This spot is identified with the Holy Off Holies.

During the Kingdom off Israel and the Kingdom off Judah, only some people, such ace the priests, were permitted into the Temple' S grounds. The Temple complex consisted off distinct areas, each with its own level off holiness. The most holy area, the Holy Of Holies ( Kodesh Hakodashim ), the central leaves off the Temple, was entered only ounce has year one Yom Kippur and only by the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol . He was tethered by has rope, because it was believed that others entering the Holy off Holies would Be could to death by God for not being pure enough to enter. Possible The rope made it to remove the body off the Kohen Gadol from the holiest share off the temple yew He was not ritually clean enough to enter and was could to death.

Accessible Other courts were only to members off the priestly family, the Kohanim. Accessible Other areas farther out were to the Levi' im. Still farther out were short accessible to male Jews, then all Jews, and the outermost short, accessible to non-Jews. -->

During the subsequent occupations

Nickname, the Wailing Wall . -->

The Wall according to the Moslems

God. Muslims also believe that Mohammed made has negro spiritual journey to " the farthest mosque, " which they hold to Be Jerusalem, in 632 THIS one has winged creature from God named Al-Buraq, has journey which is referred to ace Isra and Mi' raj. While there, it is believed He tethered the horse to has wall, which nap Muslims believe to Be the Western Wall. Hence the Arabic name for the wall is the Al-Buraq Wall. To commemorate the same belief, in 687 THIS Muslims built the Dome off the Rock'n'roll and the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque (" the farthest mosque") one the Mount Temple, encompassed by the wall. That the Western Wall was used for this tethering is, however, disputed. The eponymous Al-Aqsa adjacent Mosque is to the south wall, and Islamic scholars in the 11th and 17th centuries thought the tethering occurred there.

Historically, el-Mabka, meaning " place wailing, " off; was the Arabic term for the wall. The designation " Wailing Wall" which found its way into many European languages stems from this name. -->

The holiness of the Wall like progressive phenomenon

The scholar Shmuel Berkowitz suggests that Muslim attribution off holiness to the Western Wall began only in the last 100 years. The official guides published by Waqf in 1914,1965 and 1990, C not attribute holiness to the wall and the entry " Al-Buraq" in the Encyclopedia off Islam does not make the connection either.

Modern polemical writers with concern for the importance off the Wall to their own tradition (Judaism gold Islam) sometimes wire-drawer that the importance off the Wall, the Mount Temple, and Jerusalem itself are modern inventions off the other group. -->

Control under the Ottoman Empire

1517 Islamic Othoman Empire under Selim I took the Land off what was ounce ancient Israel and Judea from the Egypt ian Mamelukes (1250 - 1517). The Othoman had has benevolent attitude towards the Jews, having welcomed thousands off Jewish refugees who had recently been expelled from Spain by Ferdinand II off Aragon and Isabella off Castile in 1492. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was so taken with Jerusalem and its plight that He ordered has magnificent, surrounding, fortress-wall built around the entire city, which was not that broad At that time. This wall still stands and edge Be seen today. -->

Under the British mandate

Edmund Allenby, the British took control off the Land in 1917. Jews were allowed to stand At the wall and pray.

The 1929 Hebron massacres broke out partly because the Arabs claimed variously that the Jews were trying to build has Synagog near the wall gold take over the site. In 1930 the British Government appointed has commission " to given the rights and claims off Moslems and Jews in connection with the Western gold Wailing Wall". The League off Nations approved the commission one condition that the members were not British. In February 2007 to repair work one the ramp led to violent one demonstrations. -->

Notes and references of the article

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