Israel, Liberal Jews

Falling Stone: What Does it Mean After Tisha B’Av?

| by Eliyahu Mintz
Azrat Yisrael egalitarian prayer plaza, Western Wall

A stone fell out of the Western Wall, early Monday morning, the day after we celebrated Tisha B’Av (albeit a day late because of Shabbat). The mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat and city engineer Shlomo Eshkol came to inspect the fallen stone and the decision was made to fence off the area until the Antiquities Authority can inspect the area. They’ll need to map out the stones, and figure out how to best preserve them while keeping visitors safe.

Mayor Barkat said that, “A great miracle occurred this morning when the stone, weighting some 100 kilos, fell near a praying woman and did not harm her.”

Definitely a miracle. And interesting that the stone fell into the egalitarian prayer platform of the Western Wall, a heated topic for American Jews.