Historical background:
Time: 17th century BC to 10th century
Period: During the " Bible " period, the Jewish people wandered in Israel and Egypt
Key events: In the 17th century BC, the ancestors of the Jews, namely Eber The people who came were nomadic and finally settled in the homeland of Israel. But later famine forced the Jews to move to Egypt. In 400 years, the Jews were reduced from a minority to slaves in Egypt. In the 13th century BC, Moses led the Jews to flee Egypt, followed by 40 years of wandering in the desert. In order to unify the tribes, Moses completed the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai during this period. At that time, the place where Jerusalem was located was a small village. Later, due to its superior geographical advantages, it was built into a small fortress by the local indigenous people. After a long period of melee with the locals, the Jews who escaped Egypt finally captured this fortress under the leadership of their leader David and made the Jewish Kingdom its capital here. David transported the most important treasure of Judaism, the Ark of the Covenant, here, and began serious city construction in 1020 BC.
The Western Wall : The Mystery of the Thousand-Year Immortality of the Jewish Nation
When it comes to Jerusalem, I have never thought of what angle to talk about it from. As the Promised Land of the Jews, its three thousand years of history have given it so many stories. The rise of a country, the fall of a dynasty, the exile of a nation, and the birth of a religion. During this period, the ancient Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans , Byzantines, Muslims, Crusaders, Ottoman Turks... too many people came and went, and the dynasties of every dynasty on the Eurasian and African continents Both the rise and fall have been witnessed here.
Thousands of years of precipitation have allowed too many cultures to be integrated here, and too many religious relics have been left behind. The Western Wall of Judaism, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Christianity, the Dome of the Rock of Islam and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, every brick and stone of this holy city of three religions carries the hearts of hundreds of millions of believers. It has to be said that the main reason why Jerusalem can become a holy city of three religions and is respected to this day, instead of disappearing or leaving only ruins like many other various "holy places" in history, is of course its unique historical process.
So the correct way to open this holy city still requires the key of history. Of course, along the lines of the times, Jerusalem could fill a book. Even the author with only a little knowledge can talk about it for three days and three nights with a pot of tea and a paper fan. In order to give everyone a quick idea of this city, today I will extract four pieces of history from the long chronicle to tell the story of this city today.
History 1: The Temple Period, the Spring of Judaism
In 1000 BC, the Jewish Kingdom was established, and Jerusalem became the capital of King David's kingdom. Perhaps because God was dissatisfied with King David's many actions (this is another story, I will tell you if you are interested), the glory of building the temple finally went to his son Solomon. In 960 BC, King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem. The construction of the temple also established Jerusalem's status in the minds of Jewish believers.
After King Solomon died, due to historical reasons, the royal brothers turned against each other and the kingdom split into the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel. In the ancient Near East, a place where great empires rose one after another, the division of a small country determined the fate of being conquered. On August 16, 586 BC, Jerusalem was captured by the new Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II . The First Temple was destroyed. A large group of Jewish elites were taken captive to Babylon, and most of the Jews went into exile.
Later, Babylon was destroyed by the Persian empire. The Persian king allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, so some of the Jews ran back. In 516 BC, King Cyrus of Persia allowed the temple to be rebuilt, also known as the Second Temple. The temple was expanded several times until it was expanded again in 19 BC by King Herod the Great. Sadly, in AD 70, the Jews revolted against Roman rule. The Roman general Titus led his army to attack Jerusalem. After the city was destroyed, the Second Temple was destroyed.General Titus brought the golden lampstands and vessels from the temple back to Rome, and engraved the scene of victory on the "Arch of Titus" in Rome, which can still be seen today. At the same time the Jews were once again driven from their homes. Since then, the temple has never been rebuilt, and the Jews have lived a wandering life for thousands of years.
This period of history brought about the destruction of the Jewish temple and thousands of years of wandering life. This period of life did not end until the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. In the ancient city of Jerusalem, there is a section of the Western Wall, about 50 meters long and 18 meters high, made of large stones. This is a section of the Second Temple's parapet , and it is also the only remaining site of the Second Temple's parapet. Judaism regards this as the first holiest site!
For thousands of years, when Jews living in all corners of the world returned to Jerusalem, they would come to this stone wall to pray quietly and cry out about the pain of exile, so it was called the "Wailing Wall".
The prayer place at Wailing Wall is divided into two areas, men on the left and women on the right. Men must wear a hat when entering the Wailing Wall. It is said that this is a Jewish requirement to fear God. In the female area, women do not need to cover their heads at the Wailing Wall. But after praying, they need to exit the prayer area step by step, still facing the Wailing Wall when exiting, to show respect.
If you are a tourist, a simple round cap will be provided at the men's entrance and you can return it when you leave. Approaching the Wailing Wall, you will find many traditional Jews wearing suits and hats praying. They either get close to the wall, touch the stones and cry to God for thousands of years of sorrow; or they hold Bibles and recite scriptures in low voices in memory of the glorious history of the nation; or they move up a chair and face the Wailing Wall, immersed in it all day In conversation with God.
You will find that Jews keep shaking their heads when praying. Because they kept mentioning God’s name in prayer, to avoid taking God’s name in vain, they called the name once and nodded once. The more you do, the more you do, and it becomes a routine, and it becomes a symbol of earnest prayer. When praying and preaching the Bible, Jews put on prayer hoods to represent humility and accept teachings, and wrap scripture boxes around their foreheads and arms to show compliance with the scriptures of Deuteronomy 11:18: "Keep these words of mine in your hearts." , will be in your mind, hit it on your hand as a mark, and wear it on your forehead as a scripture."
At the entrance to the West Wall, a staff member will give you a pen and a small card, and then tell you seriously to write your wishes on the card, then fold it and stuff it in the gap of the Wailing Wall. , God will bless you and grant your wishes.
Although I don’t know if God can hear every voice coming from the Western Wall, what is certain is that it is this pious heart and unchanging faith that allows a nation that has experienced countless disasters to reunite here, rise and Towards new glory.
Tips
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tips:
. Western Wall Security Check: In order to protect the relics of Judaism, strict security checks are required when entering the Western Wall area! Metal objects on your body will cause the security gate to beep, and you will need to go through again. . Requirements for entering the Western Wall: Men need to wear a hat when entering the Western Wall. If you don’t have a hat, the scenic spot will provide free hats! Women do not need to wear hats or scarves.Letour Travel Network and Letour Inspiration Traveler: classa Published: 2017.05.17
