Kotel

So I had a really rough night. It was one of those nights where it would be really nice to talk to God, but it was hard to feel like I had his attention while I was at home. So I had a moment of inspiration and excitement when I remember that I was only a short taxi cab ride away from the Western Wall. It was an exciting feeling because if I was anywhere else in the world besides Jerusalem, I wouldn't be able to just say to myself, I feel like I need to talk to God right now - and walk over to the house he grew up in.

15 minutes and 25 Shekels later, I stepped out of a taxi cab at 11:30 pm the night after Passover in the Old City of Jerusalem. Before I stepped out of the cab I already began imagining what my experience at The Kotel (Western Wall) was about to be...

I lived in the Old City 2 summers ago and I was literally just a stones throw away from the Western Wall. I went many nights around midnight to talk to God at The Wall, and it was always quite and empty - sometimes even lonely. A great place to be depressed and cry your heart out. This is how I imagined The Wall would be tonight as I was riding over - but God had something else in store for me...

Before I even came in view of The Wall, I could hear singing. Even though it was only in the distance, my entire mood, demeanor, and attitude changed instantly. My ears perked up and my sadness began to dissipate. I soon came into view of a few hundred men in black hats that aligned themselves in a few solid rows (some standing on podiums and chairs) in a rectangular shaped audience at The Wall. Their singing was intense and even though I was coming from a really rough night that had drained me emotionally right before arriving at the wall, I was charged with energy and positive vibes from the huge choir of voices coming from the wall.

It was a bit of a shock to find so many people there at almost midnight, so I walked passed them trying to find a personal space where I could have some alone time. But before I even got an ear-shot away from the singing, I couldn't walk further because there was a class going on with a Rabbi lecturing at full volume with vigor and excitement!

It seemed it didn't matter which way I went, I wasn't meant to "find a corner to be sad" by myself. I was surronded with joy, excitement, and song that helped me get through my rough day.