Holy Land Day 9 (part 2) - Western Wall, Via Dolorosa, Church of Flagellation and Abu Gosh

The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of Muslim control of the Temple Mount. Known in recent centuries as the Wailing Wall, this was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex.

The plaza was created as an area for prayer when Israel captured the Old City in 1967. At times tens of thousands of people gather here for prayer. A dividing screen reserves an area at the extreme right of the Western Wall for women, who are not allowed into the men's section in keeping with Orthodox Jewish tradition.

In addition to the daily and Sabbath prayer services, special events like Bar and Bat Mitzvah are also celebrated at the Western Wall. On Tisha B'Av, which falls in July or August, a fast is held commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temple, and worshippers sit on the ground reciting the Book of Lamentations and liturgical dirges.

Note the leather pouches which are called tefillin or phylactery, worn by the Jews on their arms and foreheads - they contain scrolls of the Torah passages (Duet 6:8).

At the prayer section of the Western Wall, grass grows out of the upper cracks. The lower cracks of the chalky, yellow-white blocks have been stuffed with bits of paper containing written prayers. Orthodox Jews can be seen standing at the wall, chanting and swaying. Some Jews visit the wall daily to recite the entire Book of Psalms.

We entered the dark labyrinth of vaults and chambers, pitfalls (now rendered safe by lamps, grates, and barriers), and passages into the tunnels.

Picture 1 - discovery of lower section of the City. After the Six Day War, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Israel began the excavations aimed at exposing the continuation of the Western Wall. The excavations lasted almost twenty years and revealed many previously unknown facts about the history and geography of the Temple Mount. The excavations were difficult to conduct, as the tunnels ran below residential neighborhoods constructed on top of ancient structures from the Second Temple Period.

Picture 1 - The foundation stone also known as "The Rock", was the heart of the Holy of Holies. According to Jewish tradition, the rock marks the center point of God's dwelling and the creation of the world. Some traditions and archaeologists locate it in the center of the Dome of the Rock which is located beyond the wall, although there are other suggested locations around the temple mount.

Pictures 2 n 3 - A model of the second temple is located on the west side of the hall, in front of a set of benches. The tour guide describes the story of the temple mount with the assistance of the model, which uses the electrical controlled mechanism to demonstrate the phases of its construction by Herod.

Picture 1 -the platform is behind a prayer room filled with Orthodox worshippers. It is off-limits to women. Pictures 2 n 3 - The women are only allowed in the viewing area.

The arches in this artificial cavern date from various eras, ranging from Herodian (37 BC -70 AD) to Crusader (1100-1244).

Pictures 1 n 2 -Medieval Cistern in the Tunnel.

The tunnel exposes a total length of 500m of the walls, revealing the methods of construction and the various activities in the vicinity of the Temple Mount. The excavations included many archaeological finds along the way, including discoveries from the Herodian period (streets, monumental masonry), sections of a reconstruction of the Western Wall dating to the Umayyad period, and various structures dating to the Ayyubid, Mamluke and Hasmonean periods constructed to support buildings in the vicinity of the Temple Mount.

Out of the tunnel we entered into The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or Way of Suffering) It is a street, in two parts, within the Old City of Jerusalem, held to be the path that JESUS walked, carrying HIS cross, on the way to HIS crucifixion.

Narrow streets of the Old City. We bought some freshly baked bread from a vendor along the street.

We walked through the Roman Pavement above the vault of the cistern. This pavement was made from the large courtyard stones of the Antonia which was destroyed in 70CE. Markings in the paving stones, indicating a dice game known as the King’s Game, suggested this was where JESUS was mocked by the soldiers (John 19).

The Church of Flagellation. According to tradition, this was the site where the Roman soldiers flogged JESUS after HE was sentenced to death (John 19). The church is located on the eastern side of Via Dolorosa inside the Old City of Jerusalem.

This is the view of the interior of the church, with 3 remarkable stained-glass windows : Picture 1 - illustrating Pontius Pilate washing his hands from the sin; Picture 2 - flogging JESUS and placing a crown of thorns over the head; and Picture 3 -Barrabbas rejoices on his release instead of JESUS.

Above pictures show the mosaic of the dome is designed as the crown of thorns.

Beginning in the twelfth century, Christians began to identify Abu Ghosh as Emmaus, where JESUS appeared after the Resurrection. They imagined an old caravansary they found by the village spring as the destination of the disciples as the walked along the road “about seven miles from Jerusalem” (Luke 24). Picture 3 - a confession box.

The village’s impressive Crusader church, in a tranquil garden setting, is built over that spring. Its walls are adorned with paintings of New Testament figures – some of the oldest medieval frescos in the world.

A sample of the vast variety of flowers blooming in the garden.

This is the final part of our tour -we headed straight down David Street from Jaffa Gate into the Arab market, the Souk, bustling open-air market filled with people, carts, food and trinkets. A spice shop selling all sorts of spices - you name it, they have it :)

Picture 1 - different types of incenses - frankincense, myrth, rose of sharon, etc. Picture 2 - we also visited a shop selling all sorts of coloured stones.

T-Shirts with interesting captions on sale.

We found a Holy Rock Cafe selling freshly squeezed orange juice at USD2 per small plastic cup.

We had our last meal of delicious Shish Kebab at the Elvis restaurant on the outskirts of Jerusalem before heading for the Tel Aviv airport.

This restaurant has a collection of more than 2000 posters and pictures of Elvis.

Lesson from the Emmaus Road - Because of our relationship with GOD, we are assured of HIS abiding presence in our lives.

Open my eyes, that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Chorus:
Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see,

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

V2

Open my ears, that I may hear

Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;

And while the wave notes fall on my ear,

Everything false will disappear.

V3

Open my mouth, and let me bear,

Gladly the warm truth everywhere;

Open my heart and let me prepare

Love with Thy children thus to share.