Kosel Notes Cleared to Hold Requests for a Good Year

Ahead of Rosh Hashana 5785, tens of thousands of notes were cleared from the Kosel, according to halachic guidelines using gloves and disposable wooden tools, with the aim of making space for the mispalelim coming before the new year.

Ahead of the new year and following tradition, the prayer notes that were placed between the stones of the Western Wall over the past six months were cleared this morning (Sunday). The clearing was carried out according to halachic guidelines, using gloves and disposable wooden tools, with the aim of making space for new notes from worshippers and visitors expected to arrive at the Western Wall in the coming months. The notes were collected in special “genizah” sacks and will be buried together with worn-out sacred books transferred to a designated burial site for sacred texts.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, personally oversaw the clearing as he does every year, and he offered prayers for the safe return of the kidnapped and missing, for the well-being of IDF soldiers and security forces, for the healing of the wounded, and for peace and security for the people of Israel, as well as for the multitudes of visitors and worshippers who placed their
prayers between the stones.

Rabbi Rabinowitz shared: “This year’s notes are filled with tears from bereaved families, families of the hostages, wounded soldiers, evacuated civilians, soldiers’ families, and more. ‘May the year and its curses end, and may the year and its blessings begin’ – grant peace in the land and unity among us, this is the request of all of us.”

How can you send a note to be placed in the Wall, and when did this tradition begin? The tradition of placing notes in the Western Wall dates back approximately three hundred years to the time of the holy Or HaChaim. Prayer notes are placed along the entire length of the Western Wall and can also be found between the stones exposed in the Western Wall Tunnels.

Thousands of notes are sent to the Western Wall throughout the year, each with its own story behind it. This past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of prayer notes sent by Israeli citizens, including notes sent from hospitals where IDF soldiers are hospitalized, expressing their heartfelt wishes and personal requests for the success of IDF soldiers, the return of the hostages, and the healing of the wounded.

Groups and organizations from many countries send notes to the Western Wall. On average, about 3,000 notes are sent each month via the website of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of notes placed personally by worshippers and visitors, thousands of notes were sent through the website alone this past year from countries around the world, including the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, Russia, South Africa, Argentina, England, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia, India, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain, and more.

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