Search
Close this search box.

What Makes the Wailing Wall So Holy?

Israel Unearthed

So what makes the Wailing Wall (Also known as the Western Wall) so holy? Before answering that question let me give you a short overview of the famous Wailing Wall. So the Western Wall is an ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. But what is visible these days is a relatively small segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall; known also in its entirety as the Western Wall.


In This Photo: The wall was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple begun by Herod the Great, which resulted in the encasement of the natural; steep hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount; in a huge rectangular structure topped by a flat platform; thus creating more space for the Temple itself, its auxiliary buildings, and crowds of worshipers and visitors.

So What Does Make the Wailing Wall So Holy? 

The Wailing Wall’s holiness in Judaism is a result of its proximity to the Temple Mount. There you can find the Foundation Stone; the most sacred site in the Jewish faith; which lies behind it. The original, natural, and irregular-shaped Temple Mount was gradually extended to allow for an ever-larger Temple compound to be built at its top. This process was finalized by Herod. The Western Wall is considered closest to the former Holy of Holies; which makes it the most sacred site recognized by Judaism outside the previous Temple Mount platform.



So what I am trying to say is that there is nothing really holy about the Wailing wall by itself. In fact, it’s getting its sanctity from the proximity to the Holy of Holies and the Foundation. In other words, where the Second Temple uses to be back then. Another interesting fact about the Western Wall is that what you see today is not really the original Wall from the time of Herod. If you want to see remains from Herod the Great, you’ll need to get really close because only the very bottom of the Wailing Wall is the original wall. Most of it is buried underground.

arik-about

Hi! My name is Arik, an Israeli native who dedicated his life to sharing my passion for the Holy Land with those interested in knowing more about this incredible piece of land. I’m the Chief Guide at ‘APT Private Tours in Israel’.

Did you know the Hoopoe is Israel's national bird?! For more cool info about Israel, join our ever growing community and get exclusive travel tips, and giveaways!

Simon Peter

RELATED POSTS

Eye of Providence

Now, what is the eye of providence? First I am sure you saw this symbol. I'm referring to the eye there on top of the ...

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, (Day of Atonement), is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a solemn and sacred day with profound significance for Jews.

Haredi Judaism

Haredi Judaism consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism characterized by a strict adherence to Jewish law and traditions; as opposed to modern values and practices. ...

Jesus: Genealogy and Nativity

So this post is about Jesus’ Genealogy and Nativity. Jesus was Jewish, born to Mary, wife of Joseph (Matthew 1; Luke 2). The Gospels of Matthew and Luke offer ...

Resheph

Resheph (also Reshef) was a deity associated with plague (or a personification of plague), war, and sometimes thunder in ancient Canaanite religion. The originally Eblaite ...

The Nativity of Jesus

The nativity of Jesus or Birth of Jesus is described in the biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. So the two accounts agree that Jesus ...

Genesis Creation Narratives

Genesis Creation Narratives are a Jewish cosmogony, which tries to explain our origins. How were we created? How did the universe form?

The Origins of Judaism

One aspect of the Origins of Judaism is the transition from polytheism to monotheism in ancient Israel. We will explore it in this post.

The Armageddon

According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, the Armageddon (from Hebrew: Har Megiddo) is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

Mahdi

The Mahdi is a prophesied messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear before the end of the world.

Need help?

Skip to content