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(Hebrew: הכותל
המערבי, transliterated HaKotel HaMa'aravi, or
simply The Kotel, |
 The
Western Wall is a retaining wall in
Jerusalem that dates from the time of
the Jewish Second Temple. It is
sometimes referred to as the Wailing
Wall, or as the al-Buraq Wall, in a
mix of English and Arabic. It should
be noted that the term "Wailing Wall"
is derogatory, as implicit in the
phrase is the image of Jews wailing
and moaning over the hardships they
have endured. The Temple was the most
sacred building in Judaism. Herod the
Great built vast retaining walls
around Mount Moriah, expanding the
small, quasi-natural plateau on which
the First and Second Temples stood
into the wide open spaces of the
Temple Mount seen today.
In recent centuries, Jews were allowed
little or no access to the site, such
as when Turkey (the Ottoman Empire)
ruled over it for 400 years
(1515-1917), followed by the British
Mandate of Palestine (1917-1948) and
the Jordanian rule of Jerusalem
(1948-1967). Only when the Israel
Defense Forces won a victory in the
1967 Six Day War were Jews finally
able to gain free access to the site. |
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One idea is
that a six-pointed star receives form
and substance from its solid center.
This inner core represents the
spiritual dimension, surrounded by the
six universal directions. (A similar
idea applies to Shabbat -- the seventh
day which gives balance and
perspective to the six weekdays.)
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