Priestly Blessing Unites Thousands at the Western Wall”
More than 50,000 people gathered in the Kotel (Western Wall Plaza) on Sunday for the 54th biannual Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing), recreating a mitzvah (Torah commandment) as it was once performed in the Temple.
The holiday prayer included a recitation of the Hallel, celebratory verses in Psalms. As part of the Hallel service, the worshippers took the traditional four species—lulav, or palm frond; hadas, or myrtle; aravah, or willow; and the etrog, a citron—and performed the ritual shaking in six directions, emphasizing that Sukkot is a particularly aesthetic holiday in which Jews are commanded to dwell in gaily-decorated booths for seven days.
A special prayer for the safety and return of the hostages held by Palestinian Hamas in Gaza was added to the prayer service. Prayer was added for the safety and victory of the IDF soldiers fighting on the borders of Israel and in Judea and Samaria. A prayer was added for the health and recovery of the wounded.
The blessing of Israel, once an integral part of the Temple Service, is now performed on a regular basis in synagogues around the world.
The Kohanim are Jewish men who have a family tradition of patrilineal descent from Aaron, the first High Priest. The ritual may only be performed by a kohen and only in the presence of a quorum of ten Jews. A kohen who is under the influence of alcohol or in mourning may not perform the blessing. Demographically, kohanim represent about five percent of the Jewish population. The Temple Institute instituted a registry for the priestly class as a step towards reinstating the Temple service.
Before giving the blessing, the Kohanim remove their shoes, and have their hands washed by men who have a family tradition of being from the tribe of Levi. The Kohanim then moved to the front of the crowd and took up places adjacent to the ancient stones of the Kotel. Since the priests served in the Temple barefoot, they removed their shoes and covered themselves entirely in a tallit (prayer shawl).
The blessing is performed by the priests holding their hands up with the fingers of both hands separated so as to create five spaces between them. The spaces are between the ring finger and middle finger of each hand, between the index finger and thumb of each hand, and between the two thumbs touching each other at the knuckle.
The event occurs twice yearly, during chol hamoed (the intermediary days) of Sukkot and Passover. In Temple times, people of all faiths came from around the world to celebrate Sukkot alongside the Jews. This is reflected in modern times as Jerusalem fills up with tourists from around the world. Approximately 200,000 people have visited the site adjacent to the Temple Mount on this Sukkot festival.
The event Sunday was attended by Israel’s Chief Rabbi, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi David Yosef; the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; Israel Police Rabbi Rami Rahamim Berachyahu; Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai; Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon; Argentina’s Ambassador to Israel Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish; former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
“In recent days, we have witnessed the downfall of the enemies of the Jewish people — ‘When the wicked perish, there is jubilation.’ But we will continue knocking on the gates of mercy and will not give up until they open,” Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz said in his remarks.
“We all prayed for salvation from Heaven for the hostages, strength for the soldiers, a speedy recovery for the wounded, relief and rescue for the displaced, and for peace to reign over us and all of Israel: Amen!”
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