When I think of the word “walls,” I think of the Western Wall, the 1,601-ft. retaining wall of the Temple Mount.
Why walls and not wall? There are a few reasons.
First of all, the wall has a few different names: The Western Wall, the Wailing Wall and the Kotel.
Within the Western Wall itself, we actually have a few distinct sections – The Kotel Plaza section which is set up for Orthodox prayer services, The Southern Wall (Robinson’s Arch) located in the Davidson Center Archaeological Garden, which has recently been named Ezrat Yisrael and is open to non-Orthodox prayer groups. And the Kotel Katan (the small kotel) which is located within the Muslim Quarter near the iron gate and is mostly used for private prayer. As well as the Western Wall tunnels which are a below ground extension of the kotel with both public and private prayer areas.
So, although the Western Wall is really one long wall, there are many walls within the wall. All of these “walls” are in close proximity to the Temple Mount.
We must remember that these walls are considered holy as they are frequented regularly by Jews from around the world who come to visit and pray. However, we must not forget that the Temple Mount remains our holiest site.
