— In what many veteran Jerusalemites say was the largest-ever religious gathering this city has seen in modern times, a police-estimated throng of 120,000 people marked the Birchat Hachamch (The Blessing of the Sun) service at the Western Wall plaza at down yesterday.
The service–comprising the recitation of a blessing and various Psalms–is held only once every 28 years, on the day when, according to the Jewish calendar, the sun is in the exact same spot in the heavens as it was on the day it was created 5741 years ago.
The Western Wall ceremony was organized by Agudat Israel in Jerusalem, but it took on a national and political aura as thousands of people come up from Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak and other towns to join Jerusalemites converging on the wall before down.
By 5 am the entire Wall plaza and its approach road was solidly packed with worshippers. The sun, however, failed to cooperate–the sky was overcast. Veteran Jerusalem rabbi and retired rabbinical Supreme Court Judge Shlomo Eliashiv requested especially fervent prayers from the crowd–led by a well-known “Mekubal” (rabbi steeped in Kabbala), Rabbi Yosef Leib Sussman.
This seemed to prove effective, for soon enough a space opened up between the clouds and the sun shone through. The rabbis then led the gathering in an enthusiastic and devout rendition of the blessing.
A DEEPLY MOVING EXPERIENCE
Many participants said later they were most deeply moved by the sheer vastness of the gathering and the moment of poignant unison when everyone joined in the blessing and prayers. For some veterans, the event was reminiscent of the Shavuot service in 1967–a few days after the Wall had been liberated by the Israeli army.
Because of the Agudat Israel “tinge,” Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren did not attend this ceremony, but held a small separate one outside the Temple Mount. Other services were held at synagogues and on rooftops throughout the country. The radio and newspapers were full of elaborate astronomical and religious commentary on the scientific, symbolic and spiritual significance of this rare ceremony.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
