Problematising the Kotel

Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is present in this place, and I did not know it!” Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.”

Ibn Ezra:

Surely the LORD is present - the meaning of this is that there are certain places where miracles are experienced. I cannot explain this, but it is a wonderful secret.

When one has a heart, 'place' has no significance at all. In fact, such a person is the place of the world. Because godliness rests in the heart, as it says (Psalms 73:26) "[God is] the rock of my heart," and with regards to the Holy One it is written (Exodus 33:21) "There is a place with me" - that is, God is the place of the world, and the world is not his place. So too, one who has an Israelite heart should not ever say that such-and-such a place is unpleasant, because place is absolutely insignificant, rather, they are the place of the world, and the world is not their place.

(6) There are ten degrees of holiness. The land of Israel is holier than any other land. Wherein lies its holiness? In that from it are brought the omer [barley offering brought on the second day of Passover], the first fruits, and the two loaves [offered on Shavuot], which may not be brought from any other land... The walled cities are still more holy... Inside the wall [of Jerusalem] is more holy than these... The Temple Mount has greater sanctity, because men and women with discharges, menstruating women, and women who have given birth may not enter there.

• The Cheil has higher sanctity...
• The women's courtyard...
• The Israelites' courtyard...
• The priests' courtyard...
• Between the porch and the altar...
• The sanctuary...
• The holy of holies has greater sanctity than these.

§ It was taught in the mishna: An incident occurred where both of the priests were equal as they were running and ascending on the ramp, and one of them shoved the other and he fell and his leg was broken. The Sages taught in the Tosefta: An incident occurred where there were two priests who were equal as they were running and ascending the ramp. One of them reached the four cubits before his colleague, who then, out of anger, took a knife and stabbed him in the heart... The father of the boy, i.e., the young priest who was stabbed, came and found that he was still convulsing. He said: May my son’s death be an atonement for you. But my son is still convulsing and has not yet died, and as such, the knife, which is in his body, has not become ritually impure through contact with a corpse. If you remove it promptly, it will still be pure for future use. The Tosefta comments: This incident comes to teach you that the ritual purity of utensils was of more concern to them than the shedding of blood.