The sweet, the sacred, and the surprising

It was a typical Friday afternoon, walking to the Western Wall for Shabbat... ok, maybe it wasn't that typical... when I experienced one of the most special experiences of my young life. The Western, or Wailing, Wall does not hold much more than historical significance to me. It is beautiful, it is ancient, it has stood the test of time for millenia, but its function of securing the temple disappeared with the destruction of Herod's temple.



However, as I walked back onto the stone courtyard, with the cool air whipping my hair and the Jewish prayers and music filling my ears, I realized why this place HAS BECOME sacred to me. Night fell over the city of Jerusalem and the football-stadium-like white lights clicked on to illuminate the Wall. Wow. Surreal. The Western Wall is divided into two sections, one for the men and the other for the women. As the women of the Jerusalem Center group approached the wall, I noticed an even larger and more reverent crowd than the one I had experienced just a few days earlier. I was touched by the young girls, about my age, that left the wall with puffy eyelids and tear-stained cheeks. I was captivated by the deep, hazel eyes of the wrinkled grandmothers as they read passages of the Torah. There was a live energy about the place, a feeling of reverence and wonder. This place is sacred to me because of how sacred it is to these beautiful, wonderful people that I am coming to know and understand better during my time in the Middle East.

As I pressed through the throng toward the wall, my eyes continued to scan the crowd until they lighted on a warm and strikingly familiar face. For a moment, my jaw slightly dropped as confusion, and then disbelief, registered across my features. Thoughtfully staring at the wall, only a few feet to my left, was Sister Julie B. Beck. For those who may not know Sister Beck, she is the inspirational and marvelous President over all of the women of the LDS Church. She presides over millions of women all over the world. The odds that she would be in Israel, standing beside me at the wall, are impossibly small.

A little dazed, I gently worked my way through the crowd until I was at her side. We drew closer to the wall together as we discussed her visit to the Holy Land 13 years earlier and the beauty in the devotion of the women around us. "Is this how we approach our temples?" she asked. She was so warm, so regal, so impressive. She is such a role model for me and millions of women around the globe. When we were nearly to the wall, she touched my elbow and whispered "..here, you go first." I reached out and touched the cold stone, the ridges smooth under my fingertips from the millions of hands that had brushed against it's surface. In a moment, Sister Beck put her palm against the wall close to mine. A smile broke out upon my face as the reality of what was happening finally hit me. I was standing at the holiest site in Judaism, at a temple where my Savior had walked 2000 years before, with Sister Julie B. Beck. It is not often that we encounter life-changing experiences with our heroes, but on Friday night, I was blessed more than I ever dared hope I would be.

My night at the Western Wall was exquisite, surprising, sweet, chilling, and sacred. The Jewish people shared a magic moment with me, a moment where they mourn, rejoice, and honor the Sabbath together.

I now carry with me a new-found respect for the Holy Places in my life. The next time I approach the beautiful, white walls of the temple, I'm going to remember to be a little more reverent, a little more thoughtful, and much more thankful.

Happy shabbat everyone!