Approximately 50,000 people participated this morning in the second Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing) at the Western Wall Plaza.
Since the beginning of the Sukkot holiday, more than half a million people have visited the Western Wall.
This morning, tens of thousands of people gathered at the Western Wall Plaza on Wednesday morning for the second Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing.
Some 50,000 people took part in the second Birkat Kohanim ceremony, and tens of thousands have streamed to the Wall daily during Sukkot in commemoration of the “Aliyah LaRegel” (pilgrimage), to bless the Arba Minim (Four Species).
The Birkat Kohanim was attended by Israel’s Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi, Rabbi David Lau, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and numerous other rabbis, ministers, public figures, as well as hundreds of Kohanim and thousands of worshipers.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, concluded the ceremony with a prayer for the health of the people of Israel, and the well-being of the IDF soldiers and security forces.
The rabbi called upon the people of Israel participating in the Birkat Kohanim, saying, “We must do everything for unity and peace in the home, as it is written in the Priestly Blessing: ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you… May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you …and may He grant you peace.'”
The traditional “Second Hakafot” event at the Western Wall Plaza will take place, God willing, on Saturday night, Motzei Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023, starting at 10 pm at the Western Wall Plaza, accompanied by an orchestra and amplification.
The public is requested to follow the instructions of the Western Wall ushers for safety.
