Man looking over the divider at the women's praying section
This unusual matter is under investigation. The mayor of Jerusalem, the chief of police, the chief archeologist, the city engineer and other professionals have arrived fast at the scene of the fallen stone (according to the Media).
men's section
The fall of the rock could have been caused by natural erosion and/ or lack of proper engineering supervision (I opt for the second possibility). The ultra-orthodox, claim this is a red light, a message of warning from God regarding the area of mixed gender prayer established after heavy pressure from the Reform leaders.
The Reformists , claim the opposite; the message of warning is addressed to the orthodox who practice 'sinat chinam' (senseless hatred). On T'isha b' Av, 'sinat chinam' is the main topic of discussion and prayer, as according to talmudic sages this is what led to the destruction of the first and second temple.
mother, girl, and baby coming from the Wall
I don't belong to any religious camp. I'm not for organized religion anyway. I believe in God and pray to God as my heart, thoughts, and traditional background guide me.
Having said that , the detachment of the stone from the Wall cannot and does not leave anyone indifferent. It came as a big surprise, at a specific timing (on Tisha b'Av, just a few hours after the fast of the mourners at the Wall ended), and in a specific place - the controversial temporary platform of no segregation between men and women, in use since about 2013.
So, all that makes one ponder....or, as the rabbi of the Western Wall has put it- 'this calls for soul-searching'. It certainly does.
* (the above photos were taken during my visit there in December. See the post on the visit by typing 'Wall' in the search box).
I read about this on the news. I am stuck between "it must be a sign" and "God doesn't throw rocks at us."
ReplyDeleteBut... it is WEIRD, isn't it?
Actually, there was a big miracle there. The old lady wasn't injured and it happened hours after most of the worshippers left the site.
DeleteTo answer your question - yes, it is weird.
I'm with you, Duta. I pray and worship God but will not join a religious organization again. As for the stone falling: I don't think it's weird. I think it's just the passage of time and an ancient structure. And if people were to look at the Good Book closer, they'd realize that God doesn't care who prays where, what gender or color you are, and how you pray. It's about relationship and respect.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you're right. It's an ancient structure, probably not maimtained too well.
DeleteAs for gender segregation, or any other segregation, it's not God that insists on that, but people who want Control of other people and of holy places.
OMG how would the religious people there interpret it if the rock actually killed someone there while they were praying? (I'm an atheist so I wonder) I bet they would just blame each other....
ReplyDeleteI do despise organized religion myself, it's rotten as Swiss cheese.
Famous Baba Vanga, the blind prophet from Bulgaria, who got most of the happenings around the world right, did predict the fall of Israel this year but the interpretation of her prophecy are not really clear and are very subjective. She did also say China will become the leading country in the world this year and that the mass exodus of Muslim asylym seekers from Asia would hit Europe. She also said Europe will become Islamic in the future and stay that way for about few hundred years. Crazy stuff.
I'm sorry to say I agree with you about organized religion. It has shamefully depleted the country of all its resources. Using high birth rate as weapon, they get whatever they want in order to accept being in the political coalition.
DeleteBaba Vanga was right about Europe becoming islamic; it's not a prophecy,it's already happening.It's a fact.
It was a prophecy back when she said it. She did die a few decades ago, if I remember correctly. She also said the Europeans will thrown down the Islamic regime in a few hundred years and that the world will disappear whether in year 2 thousand and something or 5 thousand and something I don't remember. Leaves us enough time to enjoy what little life we've still left :)
DeletePS Duta, I've never asked you whether you were a teacher or something, your English is always so flawless.
I've heard the name Baba Vanga, but I'm not familiar with her prophecies.
DeleteAs for my english - thank you, but it's far from flawless. One of the reasons I write my blog in english is to retain whatever knowledge I have of the language. If you don't use a language, you just forget it.
Difficult to not take that as a sign, regardless of specific religion based on timing and placement
ReplyDeleteI seem to agree with everyone here. Indeed, the timing and the place make it hard to dismiss the fallen stone as a sign of warning of some kind.
DeleteI am with you too re God. I pray, try and keep my pleas for help for others. Could someone have sabotaged the rock. A human I mean.
ReplyDeleteGood question!
DeleteThe possibility of sabotage has crossed my mind. Could be; time will tell. The spot is being inspected, and there will probably be some conclusions.
Girl I am with you on both the reason for the rock falling and organized religion. Peace
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for being with me.
DeleteLet's hope such an event will not occur again; steps must be taken to strenghten the wall.
One can go with what the Rabbi said, or if you ask me it is just one of those things that happen and has got nothing to do with any religion.
ReplyDelete'one of those things that happen", but when they happen in a very significant and holy place like the Wailing Wall, in a city like Jerusalem - the fall of the rock becomes an event of great religios, archeolocical, historical proportion whether we wish it or not.
DeleteThat's really interesting. I'm sure that falling rock really got people talking and thinking.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that. It has become a major topic of discussion among people. Many see it as a warning, some as an ominous sign, others are trying to take some advantage out of it(mainly political or religious).
DeleteThank goodness the old lady wasn't injured and it happened hours after most of the worshippers left the site...
ReplyDeleteI can understand how this has become a topic of discussion.
All the best Jan
That was sure a miracle with the old lady.She'll have to say thanks prayers to God.
DeleteMuch is invested there in preventing terror acts, and probably not enough to prevent falling of stones.
I hadn't heard about this on the news...fortunately no one was injured.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment re the reason the stone falling.
Well, although the Kotel (Wailing Wall) is considered a global religious and historical landmark, news about it interest mainly jews and believers in Israel and abroad, so no wonder many haven't heard about the rock.
DeleteI also opt for the second option as the most probable all over the World:(
ReplyDeleteI suspect those in charge of supervision and maintenance of this ancient structure, have done a lousy job, if at all. They should have seen this coming. That was not just a stone, but a 100( one hundred)kg stone.
DeleteI also missed reading or hearing about this event, Duta, but then will admit to not watching much news in the past few weeks as our road trip continues. I was glad to read that the woman's not injured, but nevertheless it does leave the reason for the stone falling up to speculation. I would not presume to figure the cause, but your assessment sounds logical.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your recent comments on my posts about our travels. I have not had enough time to catch up on blog reading, but hope to do so when we return home by Sept.
I'm glad you're having a great time on your road trip. Focus on your travels and less on the news; this way your adventures will be more smooth and joyful.
DeleteI hadn't heard about that but I've been on media moratorium for a week or so. Very frightening and grateful that the woman wasn't hurt/killed. I'm with you on the reasoning. Rocks/structures/shifting... all more possible, I think, than a sign.
ReplyDeleteTemporary media moratorium - that sounds good. Now and then, we all get fed up with the news.
DeleteAs for the fallen rock - two things are important: 1. the woman was not hurt 2.it could be some erosion process, but this should have been detected in time by the proper authority.
I can just imagine that no one would be indifferent to that stone falling. Hopefully, they will figure out what happened. And so good no one got injured.
ReplyDeleteAnything but indifference. It could have killed many people on that site. I'm afraid those in charge of the place might silence the event and not disclose the real findings.
Delete"The detachment of the stone from the Wall cannot and does not leave anyone indifferent."
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with you.
Although it's more of a local event, people all over the world who have visited the place and are aware of its history, got interested the moment the news have reached them.
DeleteMy guess is that it would have a lot to do with preservation and maintenance. Not sure how anyone could be indifferent, but good that it wasn't worse. Didn't read anything in the news about it here. Thanks for sharing, Duta!
ReplyDeleteOnly after something happens, people in charge of maintenance start moving, but even then, I'm not sure the right things will be done. That's how it is nowadays, no one takes responsibility for anything.
DeleteIt's sad how people will interpret things that happen to suit their agenda and how people see signs in almost anything. It's an odd thing ...religion and belief in a higher power. It boggles my mind when I see a post on Facebook about a horrific accident and people are posting prayers and that they are praying for God to help. I am having my own issues right now with God and it's difficult to keep the thought out of my head that you are praying for healing or help from the same power that allowed this horrible thing to happen. And with my Catholic upbringing I find myself feeling guilty just for typing that, but there it is, that's something I struggle with. You raise interesting questions as always DUTA!
ReplyDeleteWell, I see myself as a tiny, insignificant dot that turns to a higher power (God) for help and guidance. That's how I was brought up, and as an adult I think it's the right way. I had some very tough times in my life, and also some miracles which I attribute to God's answering my prayers to Him.
DeleteI must admit I don't see eye to eye with the orthodox and the religious parties, who use God to "suit their agenda", and play all kind of tricks to get money and political influence.
What a strange event! Wow. I'm glad you'd taken photos prior. It helps me understand.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was there, I went straight to the women's section to do my praying; I wasn't looking for that mixed-gender platform.
DeleteIn principle, I'm totally against segregation; in practice, however, I don't really care. My religion and my praying is my private matter; no ideology and no politics involved here.
I must admit, Duta, it's a fake flower in my goldfish pond. My water lilies have not produced a flower this year! The frogs like to sit on it, though.
ReplyDelete