Shalom! Western Wall and Hanukkah

Shalom! Continuing our journey in Israel, if you missed my earlier posts, check out Shalom! Israel.

We spent our last evening in Israel at the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. The Western Wall is a large segment of the sustaining wall of the Western side of the Temple Mount from the time of the Second Temple; that stands beneath the Dome of the Rock.

Jewish devotees praying at the Western Wall with the right side of the wall for male devotees and the left for female devotees.

One of the customs observed by the Jewish devotees who pray at the Western Wall is the leaving of little pieces of paper with vows and prayers written on them in the cracks between the stones.

There was an IDF ceremony held at the Western Wall Plaza for soldiers who completed their basic training. Soldiers are issued their rifle and Tanakh (Jewish Bible) upon completing their basic training. In Christian context, the Tanakh is the Old Testament.

Hanukkah (derives from a Hebrew verb, meaning”to dedicate”) is a Jewish holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Antiochus IV Epiphanes.  According to the Talmud, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burnt for eight days even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day’s lighting.  Therefore, Hanukkah is observed for eights nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.  Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication.  As we were there during the Hanukkah period, we witnessed the lighting of the menorah at the Western Wall Plaza.

It was truly a memorable trip. As I was writing, I relived my experience especially when writing on Caesarea, Masada and The Garden of Gethsemane.

The historical and background information that I wrote on my Israel trip are reference from various sources like the Israel Nature & Parks Authority, Wikipedia, The Land of Jesus and Masada by The Golden Book and of course, The Holy Bible.

For more on my Israel trip, check out Shalom! Israel.

 

Thank you for stopping by.  

Audrey

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