Ha Kotel - The Western Wall

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"Ha Kotel" means "The Wall" in Hebrew.

The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is the most holy place for Jews all over the world.

So, what's so special about the Western Wall?

The Western Wall was part of the wall that surrounded the walls of the temple.

The Western Wall is the closest surviving wall to the Most Holy place. People from all over the world pray at the Western Wall. The Western Wall is also known as "The Wailing Wall" because many people weep because the temple is destroyed and because God's people have not returned to Him.

Before you enter the Western Wall, you must go through security check first. The Western Wall is very safe! After security check, you descend down the stairs to the Wall.



 A sign welcomes you at the right.
It says, "Welcome to the Western Wall, a remnant of the Temple".



Psalm 112:6-7 is written on the sign in Hebrew and English.



The Western Wall is a sacred site, so there are some rules of behavior at the Wall.
  • No smoking
  • No eating
  • No use of cell phones
  • No loudspeakers
  • Please dress appropriately (not tank tops or shorts; men/boys must wear hats or kippas)
  • Do not take pictures on the Sabbath or on holidays (like Sukkot, Pesach, Yom Kippur, etc.)


Before you enter the Western Wall, there is a hand-washing station. When you wash your hands, it isn't to clean your hands like you do when your hands are dusty or dirty. When you wash your hands, you are preparing your heart to come before God. It is a reminder to be clean spiritually in your heart.

A wall divides the Western Wall into two sections. One section is for the men, and the other is for the women.

Many people pray at the Western Wall. It is a holy place.

 You don't have to pray at the Western Wall for God to answer your prayers. God will hear your prayers wherever you are. But there is a significance of the Western Wall because God's people have been praying there for thousands of years from the construction of the temple until now.

 Jesus said in Matthew 18:20,


"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, 
I am there in the midst of them."
How much more when hundreds of people are gathered together in prayer!


Many people also write prayers to God on little slips of paper and put it in the cracks of the Western Wall. It is said that those prayers will be answered.

Many people also do Bar-mitzvahs at the Western Wall. A Bar-mitzvah is a coming of age ceremony. Boys do their Bar-mitzvahs at age 13, and girls do their Bat-mitzvahs at age 12.

Below is a Bar-mitzvah at the Western Wall.


We made an agreement with Daddy and Theodore to meet each other after 30 minutes. When the time was up, Daddy and Theodore were still praying, so I got to take a photo of them praying at the Western Wall.

We can truly feel God's presence at the Western Wall. Although many of God's people have not returned to Him, the time will come when their eyes will be opened and they will return to God.
"And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God."
-Isaiah 10:20-21
"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,"
-Isaiah 62:6

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
'May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.'"
Location: Western Wall, Jerusalem

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