In Jerusalem there is a Western Wall where people can place their prayers which are believed to ascend to Heaven through the temple mount. The earliest account of this happening was back in 1937 when a rabbi named Chaim ibn Attar instructed a destitute man to place an amulet in the wall. Since then, this practice has been continued today with there being over a million notes a year in what has now become a custom. There is a dispute though that about whether this is permissible as some argue the practice debases the holiness of the wall. Even then the practice is still continued and the notes are buried twice a year at the Mount of Olives.
People bring in notes of prayer that can be vary from a few words to very long requests and are then placed in the cracks of the wall. There also online services that allow people to send them their notes which they will place in the wall for them. The Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch also receives hundreds of letters addressed to god which he places in the wall for them. He is also the one in charge for burying them as him and his followers do this twice a year. This helped revolutionize human connection as you have hundreds to thousands of people coming in everyday placing their prayers in the wall having them all connect through this one great wall.
The Western Wall does seem to connect people as hundreds of thousands of people go there each year. Even though it started from one person back in 1937 it continues through today. These notes supposedly send a message to heaven, and this is why many people come. This connects people in so many ways that their is also an online service for the people who can't make the trip.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this can make people connect. My understanding is anyone can send and/or bring in a note of prayer. People can connect because they are there for a similar reason. The only thing is, can the prayers connect people through time. Can people in the future see what the wall is for.
ReplyDeleteThis a good connection to the writing on wall, like how they write a thing down and people respond to it.It is a good way for people to pray for that person's healing. I disagree that an amulet will help your prayer. Do people ask for the same prayer.
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