In life all that we see is not all always the reality. This statement is 100% accurate when one looks at the Western Wall. This wall is part of the outer walls of the 2nd Temple that was enlarged under Herod’s day more than 100 years prior to its destruction. In reality much of these walls are still in existence, however each kingdom that ruled over Israel built on top of it resulting in only some of the wall being exposed.
Our fellow travelers were able to walk almost the entire length of the Western Wall which is over 1 mile long. We were walking underground, which meant we were able to get out of the amazing Yerushalayim heat.
We began our tour looking at a replica of the Temple mount. The mountain of Moriah holds much significance from the beginning of time. It is here that Hashem took dirt with which to create Adam. It is here that the famous story of the Binding of Isaac took place. When Dovid became king he bought the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite, paving the way for his son, Shlomo to build the First Temple. Following the 70-year exile, the 2nd Temple was built under the leadership of Ezra and Nechemiah following the miracle of Purim. The 2nd Temple was not as fancy and beautiful as the first, as the people were very poor.
Now, we enter 2nd Temple Era and the reign of King Herod about 100 years before the destruction. Herod decides to enlarge the Temple to twice its size. Please remember that the Temple is built on a hill, so before he could enlarge the structure, he needed to enlarge the base. Imagine building a huge sandbox. First, he made the 4 walls and then filled it with dirt. Now the Temple was ready to be re-built. It was cool to be able to see figures and 3-D models that showed the change in the mountain.
After the destruction of the 2nd Temple many different rulers took over: Romans, Byzantium, Muslims. Each ruling party did not put time and effort into cleaning and rebuilding. Rather, they just built on top of ruins. So the wall became covered in layers of homes and buildings.
After Israel was able to reclaim Yerushalayim in 1967, the wall one saw was actually very small. Now Israel exposed more of the wall and created the large plaza which we see now. Still, much of the wall is covered and we were able to walk the length of it. We were constantly reminded that above our heads were homes and businesses.
As we walked we came as close as one can to the Holy of Holies. Many people gave us notes and we placed them in the spot. We also took advantage to daven here. We continued walking and came to an aqueduct that while it is underground now, it provided water to the Temple. We saw how large the stones are that were used and watched a film to show how using pulleys and animals, workers were able to move the stones without cranes and trucks.
This was an amazing experience that was a great Segway for our final prayer time at the Wall for this trip. Mincha was very inspiring.