Placing notes in the Western Wall

Last updated
A girl places a note into a crack of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Kvitelgirl.jpg
A girl places a note into a crack of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Placing notes in the Western Wall refers to the practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers to God into the cracks of the Western Wall, a Jewish holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Contents

It is claimed that occurrence of such a phenomenon dates from the early 18th century and stems from the Jewish tradition that the Divine Presence rests upon the Western Wall. There is however a dispute as to whether it is permissible according to Jewish law to insert slips of paper in to the crevices. [1] Some argue that the practice debases the holiness of the Wall and that the placement of notes should be discontinued. [1]

History

Notes wedged into the cracks of the Western Wall. ptqym bkvtl.jpg
Notes wedged into the cracks of the Western Wall.

The earliest account of placing prayer notes into the cracks and crevices of the Western Wall was recounted by Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira of Munkatch (d. 1937) and involved Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (d. 1743) who instructed a destitute man to place an amulet between the stones of the Wall. [2]

The rationale behind placing prayer notes in the Wall has been traced to the Midrashic teaching that the Divine Presence has never moved from the Western Wall, [3] [ dubious – discuss ] and the Kabbalistic teaching that all prayers ascend to Heaven through the Temple Mount, which the Western Wall abuts. [4] [5] [6]

Modern-day practice

A woman places a prayer note in the Wall. Kvitelwoman.jpg
A woman places a prayer note in the Wall.

Today, more than a million prayer notes or wishes are placed in the Western Wall each year. [7] Notes that are placed in the Wall are written in just about any language and format. Their lengths vary from a few words to very long requests. They include poems and Biblical verses. They are written on a wide variety of papers, including colored paper, notebook paper and even bubblegum wrappers, using a variety of inks.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch (or Rabinowitz), Rabbi of the Western Wall, receives hundreds of letters yearly addressed to "God, Jerusalem"; he folds these letters and places them, too, in the Wall. [8]

Online services offer petitioners the opportunity to send their notes to the Western Wall via e-mail, fax, text messaging and Internet; the note is then printed out and inserted in the Wall. [9] The Israeli Telephone Company has established such a fax service, [10] as have a number of charitable websites.

Disposal of notes

According to Jewish law, prayer notes may not be thrown away[ citation needed ]; there is a difference of opinion as to whether they should be burned or buried. According to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and author of Minhagei HaKotel, a book of halakhot about the Western Wall, burning is a "pure" way to deal with the notes, but burying them is more honorable. [8] Rabinowitz further states that the letters are buried because they have the status of letters to God. [11] Twice a year, ahead of Rosh Hashanah and Passover, [12] Rabinowitz and his assistants collect the notes left in the Wall and bury them in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. [8] [13]

Notable persons who have placed notes in the Wall

Then New York City Public Advocate, and former Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio places a prayer note in the Western Wall, 2011 Bill de Blasio 2011 at Western Wall.jpg
Then New York City Public Advocate, and former Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio places a prayer note in the Western Wall, 2011

The tradition of leaving notes for God in the Western Wall has also been adopted by Christian pilgrims and people of other faiths. [8] Foreign dignitaries who have publicly placed a message in the Western Wall include Pope John Paul II (in 2000), [14] Pope Benedict XVI (in 2008) [15] and Pope Benedict XVI, again in 2009, who released its contents to the media. [16]

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton deposited a note in 2005. [17] In July 2008, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama placed a written prayer in the Wall. [18] After Obama and his entourage departed, his note—written on hotel stationery—was removed from the Wall by a seminary student who sold it to the Maariv newspaper. The newspaper published the note, prompting criticism from other news sources and from the Rabbi of the Western Wall for violating the privacy that is inherent in notes placed in the Wall. [19] In July 2012, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney placed a written prayer in the Wall. [20] His note was later moved to a different location in the Wall for privacy reasons and to avoid a repeat of the incident with Obama's note in 2008. [21]

On May 22, 2017, Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to visit the Wall; he also inserted a note. [22] Trump's Vice President, Mike Pence, visited the Wall and deposited a prayer note on January 23, 2018, at the conclusion of his four-day visit to Israel. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Mount</span> Religious site in Jerusalem

The Temple Mount, also known as Haram al-Sharif, al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or simply al-Aqsa, and sometimes as Jerusalem's holyesplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a holy site in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for thousands of years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Wall</span> Holy site of Judaism in Jerusalem

The Western Wall, known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall, is a portion of ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem that forms part of the larger retaining wall of the hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount. Just over half the wall's total height, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, and is believed to have been begun by Herod the Great. The very large stone blocks of the lower courses are Herodian, the courses of medium-sized stones above them were added during the Umayyad period, while the small stones of the uppermost courses are of more recent date, especially from the Ottoman period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksander (Hasidic dynasty)</span> Polish Hasidic dynasty

Aleksander is a Polish Hasidic dynasty originating from the city of Aleksandrow Lodzki, Poland, where it was founded by Grand Rabbi Yechiel Denciger (1828–1894). Aleksander is a branch of Vurka, as Shraga Fayvel Danciger was a leading disciple of Rabbi Israel Yitzhak Kalish of Vurka. Prior to the Holocaust, Aleksander was the second to largest Hasidic group in Poland. They attracted artisans, merchants and water carriers rather than elite Talmudic scholars and richer people who were attracted to Ger. Like the rest of Polish Jewry, almost all of Aleksander hasidim were murdered in the Holocaust. Between the world wars, Hasidic Jews from all over flocked to the small village of Aleksander to spend the holiest days of the Jewish year in the presence of their spiritual leader, their rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem Danciger (1879–1942). The Rebbe of Aleksander attempted to remain neutral in political issues while emphasizing communal prayer and the study of Torah. He was murdered by the Germans on September 5, 1942, eight days before Rosh Hashana, at Treblinka extermination camp. Today, Aleksander has emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust and continues growing in numbers in small communities in America, Europe and Israel.

The "Third Temple" refers to a hypothetical rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. It would succeed Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple, the former having been destroyed during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in c. 587 BCE and the latter having been destroyed during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The notion of and desire for the Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly in Orthodox Judaism. It would be the most sacred place of worship for Jews. The Hebrew Bible holds that Jewish prophets called for its construction prior to, or in tandem with, the Messianic Age. The building of the Third Temple also plays a major role in some interpretations of Christian eschatology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism</span> Reform Jewish organization in Israel

The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is the organizational branch of Progressive Judaism in Israel, and a member organization of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. It currently has 40 communities and congregations around the state of Israel, 13 of which are new congregations – referred to as U'faratztah communities – and two kibbutzim, Yahel and Lotan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women of the Wall</span> Jewish feminist organization

Women of the Wall is a multi-denominational Jewish feminist organization based in Israel whose goal is to secure the rights of women to pray at the Western Wall, also called the Kotel, in a fashion that includes singing, reading aloud from the Torah and wearing religious garments. Pew Research Center has identified Israel as one of the countries that place "high" restrictions on religion, and there have been limits placed on non-Orthodox streams of Judaism. One of those restrictions is that the Rabbi of the Western Wall has enforced gender segregation and limitations on religious garb worn by women. When the "Women of the Wall" hold monthly prayer services for women on Rosh Hodesh, they observe gender segregation so that Orthodox members may fully participate. But their use of religious garb, singing and reading from a Torah have upset many members of the Orthodox Jewish community, sparking protests and arrests. In May 2013 a judge ruled that a 2003 Israeli Supreme Court ruling prohibiting women from carrying a Torah or wearing prayer shawls had been misinterpreted and that Women of the Wall prayer gatherings at the wall should not be deemed illegal.

Kalman Packouz was an Orthodox rabbi who pioneered various Jewish educational initiatives geared towards baalei teshuva outreach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Wall Tunnel</span> Tunnel in Jerusalem

The Western Wall Tunnel is a tunnel exposing the Western Wall slightly north from where the traditional, open-air prayer site ends and up to the Wall's northern end. Most of the tunnel is in continuation of the open-air Western Wall and is located under buildings of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. While the open-air portion of the Western Wall is approximately 60 metres (200 ft) long, the majority of its original length of 488 metres (1,601 ft) is hidden underground. The tunnel allows access to the remainder of the Wall in a northerly direction.

Beit El Kabbalist yeshiva is a center of kabbalistic study in Jerusalem. Today it consists of two buildings, one in the Ruhama neighbourhood of West Jerusalem, built in 1948, and another in Old City’s Jewish Quarter, built in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir Yeshiva (Brooklyn)</span> School in Brooklyn, New York, United States

The Mirrer Yeshiva Central Institute, commonly known as the Mir Yeshiva or the Mirrer Yeshiva, is a Haredi yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Western Wall</span> Jewish religious site in Jerusalem

The Little Western Wall, also known as HaKotel HaKatan, the Small Kotel and the Kleiner Koisel, is a Jewish religious site located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem near the Iron Gate to the Temple Mount. The wall itself dates from the Second Temple period. It is the continuation of the larger part of the Western Wall and almost exactly faces the Holy of Holies. HaKotel HaKatan is not as well-known and not as crowded as the larger part of the Western Wall. This section of the wall is of deep spiritual significance because of its close proximity to the Holy of Holies. However, it is not the closest location to the Holy of Holies, as there is a location in the Western Wall Tunnel which directly faces the Holy of Holies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shmuel Rabinovitch</span>

Shmuel Rabinovitch, also spelled Rabinowitz is an Orthodox rabbi and Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel. In his duties as Rabbi of the Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Rabbi Rabinovich maintains the historic traditional Jewish practices of the Wall as a site of orthodox Jewish prayer and ensures that notes placed in the Wall are removed and treated consistent with tradition and halakhah. He escorts visiting heads of state and foreign dignitaries during visits to the Wall, and has published on the Jewish laws and customs of the Western Wall.

In Judaism, especially in Orthodox Judaism, there are a number of settings in which men and women are kept separate in order to conform with various elements of halakha and to prevent men and women from mingling. Other streams of Judaism rarely separate genders any more than secular western society.

Pope John Paul II worked to improve relations between the Roman Catholic Church and Judaism. He built solid ties with the Jewish community in the hope of promoting Christian–Jewish reconciliation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public menorah</span> Public display during Hanukkah

A public menorah is a large menorah displayed publicly during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. It is done to celebrate the holiday and publicize the miracle of Hanukkah, and is typically accompanied by a public event during one of the nights of Hanukkah attended by invited dignitaries who are honored with lighting the menorah.

<i>Kvitel</i> Prayer note in Judaism

Kvitel or Kvitl refers to a practice developed by Hasidic Judaism in which a Hasid writes a note with a petitionary prayer and gives it to a Rebbe in order to receive the latter's blessing. This prayer may be a general request for health, livelihood, or success, or a specific request such as recovery from illness, the ability to bear children, a wedding match, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson's Arch (Jerusalem)</span> Ancient stone arch in Jerusalem

Wilson's Arch is the modern name for an ancient stone arch in Jerusalem, the first in a row of arches that supported a large bridge connecting the Herodian Temple Mount with the Upper City on the opposite Western Hill. The Arch springs from the Western Wall and is still visible underneath later buildings set against the Wall. The name Wilson's Arch is also used to denote the hall that it partially covers, which is currently used as a synagogue. This hall opens towards the Western Wall Plaza at the Plaza's northeast corner, so that it appears on the left of the prayer section of the Western Wall to visitors facing the Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanhedria Cemetery</span> Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem

Sanhedria Cemetery is a 27-dunam (6.67-acre) Jewish burial ground in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem, adjacent to the intersection of Levi Eshkol Boulevard, Shmuel HaNavi Street, and Bar-Ilan Street. Unlike the Mount of Olives and Har HaMenuchot cemeteries that are located on the outer edges of the city, Sanhedria Cemetery is situated in the heart of western Jerusalem, in proximity to residential housing. It is operated under the jurisdiction of the Kehilat Yerushalayim chevra kadisha and accepts Jews from all religious communities. As of the 2000s, the cemetery is nearly filled to capacity.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, often mentioned as the Western Wall Foundation, is the body responsible for administration for all matters concerning the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The group is made up of mostly ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews and operates under the auspices of the office of the Prime Minister of Israel and the Government Companies Authority. Rabbi Ilan Cohen previously served as the Foundation's Chairman, and the position is currently held by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch.

Women for the Wall, sometimes abbreviated as W4W, is a grassroots Jewish women's traditionalist organization founded in April 2013, formed in opposition to the Women of the Wall (WoW), a Jewish women's group promoting egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall, the Jewish holy site in Jerusalem.

References

  1. 1 2 Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society. 43-44. Yeshiva Rabbi Jacob Joseph School. 2001. p. 94. A practical issue in connection with the kotel ha'maravi is whether it is permitted to insert one's fingers or notes into the crevices of the wall" and "Others have argued that since this pollutes the kotel, and there is no halachic reasoning for this practice, that it is not proper to allow it to continue.
  2. ↑ Goldstein, M. (1931). Ma'asos Yerushalaim
  3. ↑ Exodus Rabbah 2:2.
  4. ↑ Simmons, Rabbi Shraga. "What is the Origin, Process and Reason Behind Placing Notes in the Western Wall?". about.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  5. ↑ Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer 35: "Anyone who prays in this place in Jerusalem, it is as if he prayed before the Throne of Glory, for the gate of heaven is there, open to hear all prayers".
  6. ↑ Simmons, Rabbi Shraga (3 November 2002). "Six Reasons Why The Wall Is Holy" . Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  7. ↑ McGirk, Tim (25 July 2008). "Obama's Private Prayer 'Leaked'". Time. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Where Do All the Prayer Notes Go?". ABC-Australia news report. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  9. ↑ "Not in Yerushalayim? Send a Kvittel to the Kosel via Twitter". matzav.com. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  10. ↑ Starr, Joyce Shira (1995). Faxes and Email to God: At the Western Wall of Jerusalem. iUniverse. ISBN   978-1-893652-37-8.
  11. ↑ Eilen, Shia. "Interview with Harav Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rav of the Kosel". Hamodia Features, September 28, 2017, p. 10.
  12. ↑ Prayer notes removed from the Western Wall in preparation for Passover, by Jerusalem Post staff, 12 April 2019, accessed 2 April 2023.
  13. ↑ [https://thekotel.org/en/8898/ Western Wall Rosh Hashanah 2019: Clearing the Notes from the Western Wall], The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, 17 June 2020, accessed 2 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Letter Placed by Pope John Paul II at the Western Wall". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel) . Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  15. ↑ "Pontiff Visits Judaism's Holiest Site, the Western Wall". necn.com. 12 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  16. ↑ "Pope Places Note of Peace in Jerusalem's Western Wall". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  17. ↑ "Hillary Clinton visits Western Wall". Haaretz. Associated Press. 15 November 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  18. ↑ McGirk, Tim (2008-07-25). "Obama's Private Prayer Leaked". Time. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008.
  19. ↑ "Rabbi Condemns Release of Purported Obama Prayer Note". CNN. 27 July 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  20. ↑ Haake, Garrett (29 July 2012). "Mitt Romney visits Western Wall, one of holiest sites in Judaism". NBC News . Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  21. ↑ Tepper, Greg (30 July 2012). "Romney's Western Wall Note Removed". The Times of Israel . Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  22. ↑ Diamond, Jeremy (22 May 2017). "Trump makes historic visit to Western Wall". CNN . Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  23. ↑ Eglash, Ruth; Johnson, Jenna (23 January 2018). "Prospects of peace elusive as Pence wraps up visit to Israel". The Washington Post . Retrieved 23 January 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.