Four levels of existence at the Western Wall
The Western Wall plaza receives a steady stream of visitors on a daily basis. Non-Jews and Jews, old and young, locals and tourists all visit this plaza. They visit the wall to pour out the burdens in their hearts and to communicate with God through prayer and notes. Some even come to simply press their lips against these amazing stones. They cry, laugh, sing, dance and pray. With all these taking place however, there is one factor that is always ignored. The fact that wall itself is full of life.
At the wall, one can get to hear the all too familiar cooing of the turtledove. There are people who hold the belief that this bird is a very special bird on earth. The dove happens to be the most persecuted of all birds and this is the reason as to why it numerously appears in the Talmud and Bible as a metaphor representing Israel.
We cannot also forget the plant kingdom. On the Western Wall are more than seven different types of plants. The ephedra gives the bird gourmets red berries and also produces ephedrine which is a very useful alkaloid in the pharmacological world as it is used in the treatment of bronchi diseases. The Golden henbane is also present there and Josephus, a Jewish historian, compared its blossom to the high priest’s tiara.
Last but not least is the wild creature that superstitiously peeks out from between the ancient stones each time making a curious sound before disappearing again. This hyperactive and agile gecko has been mentioned in the Talmud (Shabbat 77b) and also in Proverbs 30:28. It has been described as an ancient natural remedy for scorpion bites. You simply need to get two geckos and grind them. One of the geckos should be dark and the other on should be light colored. The powder should then be dropped onto the wound. Lucky enough for the visitors, no scorpion has even been spotted around the wall.
Found at this amazing wall are all the four levels of existence; the mineral, vegetable, animal and human. All of them have been blended together into one perfect harmony. They all co-exist at this particular wall to form a perfect ecosystem just as God intended it to be. There is no denying that here has been a lot of spiritual attachment placed on the Wailing Wall and the fact that all aspects of god’s creations are available here only serves to enhance this attachment.
