Connecting Pilgrims to their Jewish roots

Growing up in the United States I thought that pilgrims planted corn and hunted turkey; today I realize that all of us can become spiritual pilgrims on a religious voyage. Let me explain.

Before the second temple was destroyed in the year 70 CE, Jews used to journey from their homes in the Judean hills, Jerusalem and the Galilee to the temple in Jerusalem. They came to the beit hamikdash to perform important religious sacrifices, offerings to God that gave them the distinct feeling that they were in the presence of the shechinah, the Divine Presence. Our ancestors, who came primarily on the pilgrimage festivals, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, spent weeks and sometimes months in preparation for their journey to Jerusalem and then back home. Josephus, the well-known Jewish historian of the ancient world, estimated that 2.5 million pilgrims gathered in the city on Pesach, while early rabbinic texts estimate that there were 16 million. Although many scholars feel these numbers are greatly exaggerated (they estimate 180,000), it is clear that our ancestors were drawn to Jerusalem for religious and spiritual reasons. Today, what remains of that magnificent temple is the Western Wall.

The second temple, built by Herod the Great, was considered the most beautiful temple in the ancient world. According to the Talmud (Bava Batra 4a) "It used to be said: He who has not seen the Temple of Herod has never seen a beautiful building." But our ancestors did not come to the temple for its beauty, although I am sure they enjoyed the temple's magnificent construction and decorations. They came not as tourists, but rather as pilgrims and I think there is a big difference.

Today, the streets of Jerusalem are teeming with tourists from all over the world and you can't walk by a major thoroughfare without seeing Birthright busses, congregations with their rabbis and pastors and so on.  Israelis are very grateful that tourists/pilgrims are making their way to the holy land.

When I work with Jews and Christians from overseas, one of my goals is to gently challenge their notion that they are just tourists. While we love tourists, I prefer pilgrims who are on a spiritual pilgrimage. A pilgrim is someone who journeys a long distance to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Although we don't offer sacrifices at the remnants of the Western Wall, today's pilgrims often feel moved when they see what remains of the temple. 

A few years ago a colleague of mine guided the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong. When they were walking on the southern steps, up to the Hulda gates that are now closed, he explained to Mr. Armstrong that this is the entrance that Jesus would have come through on his pilgrimage to the temple. At that point Neil Armstrong said that I have walked in some special places, but going up the same steps the Jesus walked on is the most special feeling in the world.

 
I spend a lot of time guiding and conducting B'nai Mitzvah under Robinson's Arch, on the southern end of the Western Wall. In addition to explaining where we are, I try to convey the notion that they are here on pilgrimage (aliyat regel-lit. going up with our feet), and not a trip or a mission. Writing a kvittel (note) to God and placing it between the massive ashlar stones, makes one feel that they are close to the Shechinah. Coming to Jerusalem is quite amazing, but when you frame it as a journey to the center of the religious universe....well, that is not something done by a tourist but by a pilgrim.

Even though it only takes me 15 minutes from my home to hop in my car and get to the kotel, I am making a journey to the center of my religious universe. Yes, God is omnipresent, but somehow I feel more connected to God here in Israel and Jerusalem, than anywhere else in the world. When you come to Jerusalem, to the Western Wall -- and I hope all of you reading this will have that opportunity -- I pray that you can feel like a pilgrim with a special sense of connectedness to God.