Israel Trip - Western Wall

Prior to my trip to Israel this past fall of 2010, I had a vague idea of what the Western Wall (aka wailing wall) is. I have seen picture/video of Jewish people praying and bumping their head on the wall while chanting some hebrew prayers. Other than that, I really have no idea why they pray to that wall. But after the trip to the wall, I now know that this wall is the remnant of King Solomon's temple. And there was a room near the western end of the temple called the "Holy of Holies" where the ancient Jew housed the Ark of the Covenant (Moses' ten commandment tablets). Jews believed that the Holy of Hollies is as close to God as you can be. And since the actual location of the Holy of Hollies is now covered by a Muslim mosque, the Jew has only access to the Western wall. So they go to the western wall to pray.

Upon arriving at the Western Wall, it was nothing spectacular to behold. Everybody was asked to cover their heads to approach the wall. Good thing there was a big bin with white Yamaka (aka Kippah) for the gentiles like me to borrow. So I took one plain white yamaka and wore it as I approached the wall. Indeed there were Jews in their traditional outfit and facial hair wailing in hebrew as they prayed and bounced their head against the wall. It is said that if you write your prayer/request on a piece of paper and stick it in the wall, God will see it faster and perhaps your prayer will be granted sooner. As if there was such a thing! But I did just that. I had one prayer written on a paper which was to make my friend better from his cancer. I approached the wall as a skeptic but left it as an altered person. I got overwhelmed somehow as I prayed to make my friend better. I got farklempt. After the very emotional prayer, I wiped my teary gentile eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat and stuck the paper on a very crowded wall crevice. Somebody said that I felt the presence of God that moment. Perhaps I did.