The sand of times - Isreal - Adventures in Israel and Jordan October - November 2005 – Part 2 of 4

The Western Wall
I ran my fingers over the cold Jerusalem stone, touching and caressing the ancient wall. It had been four long years since my last visit to Israel, yet the Western Wall's magic greeted me with the embrace of a long-lost friend.

A friend that hasn't changed a bit in thousands of years. This was the "Holy of Holy"... the pinnacle of spirituality for Jews of all denominations.

Photo. Wall preying in Jerusalem. © Josh Cutler.

Throughout the Diaspora, all Jews prayed in its direction, millions of them, for thousands of years. Although common knowledge tells you this is just a wall, a stacked pile of rocks... your heart will undoubtedly show you different.

Photo. Prayers stuffed in the Western Wall, the last remains of Solomon's  Temple. © Josh Cutler.

Maybe it's the tears of joy that had fallen at it's base, maybe it's the blood of soldiers dying to recapture it. Regardless of explanation, the Wall breathed life into the hearts and souls of all in its presence. 

Photo. Resevoir curlies - Isreal. Hasidic men walking to the Western Wall for Shabbat. © Josh Cutler.

Hasids and other bearded believers chant, bow and cry as they caress and kiss the stone base of their fallen Temple. As they finish, they walk away backwards... never turning their backs on their salvation. 
 
Touching this ancient structure is the goal of every living Jew. After one experiences it firsthand and allows the Shechina, "Divine Presence", into your heart there is no going back. It opens a part of your brain and soul that you might not have known was inside.
 
The mystical energy felt can not be described in words...but I will try. Closing my eyes and resting my hands and forehead against it, I could feel my own life force and energy flowing out of my palms. There was no need to pray...a spiritual vacuum withdrew and pulled feelings and emotions from my flesh into the stone.
 
Like an open sieve, a spiritual adrenaline eminated from my soul. It was absorbed by something I could neither feel or see... but I promise you, it was there... calling me like and old friend who knew me better than I knew myself. 
 
Call it meditation, call is Ha Shem... the feeling is one I've experienced very few times in my short existence on this planet. It was probably the same exhilaration, emotion, and intensity of being born. Undoubtedly, this is the feeling of an infant as he takes his first breath... a breath given by G-d. 
 
To me, this feeling of birth, rebirth, and touching the hand of G-d can be felt here and only here, at the Kotel, Baruch Ha Shem.
 
Tel Aviv
The Ying to Jerusalem's Yang spreads fifty miles west in Tel Aviv. Translated loosely as "the new old city", a post-modern metropolis rivals other Mediterranean ports for the region's most stylish and trendy city. Young urbanite men incorporate yamukas into their club outfits. Women display a style of Grateful Dead parking lot meets Cosmo. 

Photo. Tel Aviv`s strange tast in modern art. © Josh Cutler. Tel Aviv is Israel's secular city, where women can show more skin than just their wrists and ankles... and often do.  Upon first glance, people liken Tel Aviv to Miami of South Beach, however, a slight scratch below the surface shows the town's residents aren't all about partying and beach life.

Tel Aviv was built from nothing 100 years ago, and blossomed from 20 Jewish families into several million. Locals refer to Israel as "America's 51st state", and after witnessing the modern chic atmosphere of this "new old city", one can almost confuse the hip neighbourhoods with Philadelphia's South Street... minus the cheese steak of course!
 
Israel declared it's independence here in 1948 among Egyptian bombs, Jordanian assaults, and Syrian invasions. This is where Hertzl's dream of a Jewish state became a reality. 

Photo. An arab boy with his camel - Jaffa Gate Jerusalem. © Josh Cutler.

If Jerusalem is Israel's spiritual nest... Tel Aviv is most definitely where modern Israel learned how to fly. 

This story continues in Part 3: Read more about Josh`s journey across the border to Jordan (click on the link): Read more in Part 3 .

Josh Cutler, 18 November 2005