Can Anyone Pray at the Western Wall (Do You Have to Be Jewish?)

Today we will answer a question submitted to us by a visitor – Can anyone pray at the Western Wall, or do you have to be Jewish?

The short answer is yes – everybody is welcome to the western wall. You don’t have to be Jewish to pray or visit the Western Wall.

The long answer is below.

but before we answer it, we need to have some backgroung.

About the Western Wall

The Western Wall (AKA “the Wailing Wall” / “Kotel” in Hebrew, “the Buraq Wall” in Islam) is an ancient limestone wall in the middle of the Old City of Jerusalem.

 It is a small remaining segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall. The wall was originally built as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple, done by king Herod the Great, which resulted in the flattening of the natural hill in place known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount by a large structure roofed by a huge flat platform, thus creating more space for the Temple and its surrounding buildings. 

For Muslims, it is the place where the Islamic Prophet Muhammad tied his steed, al-Buraq, on his night journey to Jerusalem before rising to heaven.

The term Western Wall and its variations are mostly used to describe the narrow section traditionally used by Jews for prayer. It has also been called the “Wailing Wall”, referring to the practice of Jews weeping at the site over the destruction of the Temples.

Did you know? Some of the Wall’s subterranean stones uncovered by archeologists in the course of their excavations are extraordinarily large, bigger than any stone found in the pyramids. Some weigh hundreds of tons.

Sanctity of the Wall

In Judaism, the Western Wall is considered as the only remnant of the Holy Temple. It has become a place of pilgrimage for Jews, as it is the closest permitted accessible site to the holiest spot in Judaism – the Even ha-shetiya (“Foundation Stone”), which resides on the Temple Mount.

Some orthodox scholars rule that the area in front of the Wall has the status of a synagogue and must be treated accordingly. This is the view upheld by the authority in charge of the wall. As such, men and married women are expected to cover their heads upon approaching the Wall, and to dress appropriately. When departing, the custom is to walk backwards away from the Wall (and not turn your back to it). On Saturdays, it is forbidden to enter the area with electronic devices, including cameras, which infringe on the sanctity of the Sabbath.

Others warn against inserting fingers into the cracks of the Wall as they believe that the breadth of the Wall constitutes part of the Temple Mount itself and retains holiness, while others who permit doing so claim that the Wall is located outside the Temple area.

The Western Wall is also known as the “Wailing Wall.” This name was given by non-Jewish observers who were accustomed to see Jews gathering at the Wall and “wailing”; wailing in prayer, and wailing in mourning for the destroyed Holy Temples.

Can anyone pray at the Western Wall?

While the Western Wall  was built by King Herod, and while the temple in the courtyard that it encloses was the second of two temples – it is believed that the first temple (built, according to the Hebrew Bible, during the reign of King Solomon) stood in the same place.

What did Solomon say when he dedicated his temple? He praised God and requested favour for everybody who came to this place with an offering. Specifically, he singles out “foreigners” – people who are not Israelites (in today’s parlance, non-Jews).

The relevant passage in 1 Kings 8:41–43. Here it is in the translation of the NRSV:

“Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name – for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm – when a foreigner comes and prays toward this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.”

So basically, everyone is welcome to pray at the Western Wall, even non-Jewish.

Did you know? Following basic training, many IDF combat units hold their swearing-in ceremonies at the Western Wall.

Prayer Notes

There is a famous practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers into the crevices of the Wall. The earliest account of this practice is attributed to Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, (d. 1743). More than a million notes are placed in the wall each year, and there is also an option to send notes to the Kotel online. It has become customary for visiting dignitaries to place notes too.

Sending an Online Prayer Note

The practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers to God into the cracks of the Western Wall dates from the early 18th century and stems from the Jewish tradition that the Divine Presence rests upon the Western Wall. Over a million notes are placed each year in what has become a custom, not only for tourists, but also for high-profile dignitaries visiting Israel from abroad.

For those of you that are unable to travel to Jerusalem in person, there is a free online service that allows you to send you e-prayer. It will be printed out in the Old City of Jerusalem where it will be placed in the Western Wall by a student, for free.

Go check it out in Aish HaTorah website.