"Shucklen"ing before the Western Wall in Jerusalem

   "When a Jew utters one word of Torah, the light in his soul is kindled ... and he sways to and fro like the flame of a candle." 
{Zohar to Numbers 218bf} 
     Noticing the gentle swaying of an elderly man at prayer, the "shucklen"ing, becomes alive. Anyone who has mastered the art of prayer, knows that any gentle movement takes time. One has to master oneself in order for the body to pick up the inner stirrings of one's soul. Like art, time and practice are needed, be it praying rosary beads or sitting quietly before "Presence". For us at the Western Wall in Jerusalem this winter, it was worth the effort to wait for such moments within ourselves.

The Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall, is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism. It is revered as the last relic of the second Temple built in 20 B.C.E. Anyone who prays there feels as if he/she has prayed before the throne of glory because, according to tradition, the gate of heaven is present and therefore open to our prayer.                                {reflection #233}