Definition of Wailing Wall

In Jerusalem is the Wailing Wall or Wailing Wall, the sacred place par excellence of the Judaism. In Hebrew its name means western wall and it is the vestige of the ancient temple of Jerusalem that was ordered to be built in the 10th century BC. C for Solomon, the son of King David.

It is located in the so-called Esplanade of the Mosques in the tradition Muslim or Temple Esplanade in Judaic tradition.

Historical brushstroke

When the Roman legions of Emperor Vespasian destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. C., only a part of the wall of the edification remained standing. General Titus was responsible for the siege of the city and the destruction of the temple and decided not to totally destroy the wall so that the Jews would not forget that Rome had defeated Judea. In this way, the wall symbolized the lament of the Jewish people for their defeat and since then it has been known as the Wailing Wall.

However, the Jewish people understood that it was a message

divine, according to which a part of the sacred temple would always remain standing as symbol of the eternal covenant of the Jewish people with God.

Prayers and petitions

During the last two thousand years, Jews pray in front of the Wall and in this way express their lament for the destruction of the city and the dispersion of the Hebrew people. However, it is not only a question of a feeling of grief and complaint, but also the Book of the Psalms, as well as praises and petitions, both oral and written.

In fact, there is a tradition of introducing a small piece of paper with a brief text Between the cracks in the wall The celebration of the Bar Mitzvah or the ritual of transition to adolescence, is another of the rites staged in front of the Western Wall.

The custom of introducing pieces of paper with a request began in the Middle Ages when the rabbis visited the city of Jerusalem and read in front of the Wall the requests of the members of their different communities

Holy places of the three monotheistic religions

The religion Judaica, Christianity and Islam are the great monotheistic religions. Each of them has one or more sacred places: the Wailing Wall for the Jewish community, the Altar of the Crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem or the Vatican for Christians and Mecca or the Prophet's Mosque in the city of Medina for followers of the Islam.

Photos: Fotolia - Robert Hoetink / Andrey Shevchenko

Themes in Western Wall