Memories
One of the amazing things about the Kotel (and all of Yerushalayim) is that it is a magnetic force that brings people together. I sat at the Kotel and people that are dear to me appeared. Without exaggeration I met twenty people that I knew at the Kotel. I am always reminded of the pshat that Avraham Newman once said to me, that you always meet people that you know in Yerushalayim because it is Ir SheChubrah Lah Yachdav – it unites people. (One morning during minyan I heard a voice from behind me say to me gently, “you know I once heard that Yerushalayim is called Ir SheChubah Lah Yachdav because you always bump in to people that you know… it was a dear friend and chavruta.)
On my first full day back in Israel I davened in a minyan inside the cave where the Kotel continues inside. After the minyan I was sitting for a bit, writing, thinking, praying - and someone to my left looked familiar. I asked him if he was who I thought he was and he said yes, and then asked who I was. I last saw him nine years ago, so I understand that I didn’t look familiar right away. It was a dear old roommate and friend named Simcha Hochbaum who is now a popular and talented tour guide.
He was about to embark on leading a three hour tour and invited me to come as his guest. It was an amazing tour of spots around (literally) the Old City that are seldom seen, the focus being the entrance gates to Har haBayit. I’m very glad that I went and got to spend time with this very special person. (Of course on the tour there were two other people that I knew.) This photo is one of the entrances to the place where the Beit HaMikdash stood.
Today I told someone that I just came back from my trip.
“What program?”
“I rented an apartment in the Old City and learned with a chavrusa for the morning hours and then spent a lot of time at the Kotel.”
“Just sitting there? Why the obsession with a wall?”
I tried to explain, dropped factoids like that it’s close to where the Beit HaMikdash was. But it just didn’t resonate with this person’s brand of (orthodox) Judaism or of life. Sigh.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 7:39 AM
3 Comments:
I feel bad that he couldn't understand - it shouldn't take much explanation - the Kotel is amazing. But I guess it's difficult, because there aren't really words able to describe it - it just is.
I have no trouble with this person not understanding. Certain things can't be explained on a rational level. Judaism is about serving and building/nurturing a relationship with hashem, and everyone has to find their own path to do that, be it limud ha'torah, chesed, t'filah, etc. I don't think I could spend hours a day at the kotel (amazing at it is), but I do understand that physical proximity to the kotel is one of your ways of feeling close to hashem. And if that works for you, I'm glad you had the opportunity to do it.
I always find the Kotel to be a place of comfort.
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