In
Parshat Vayera, Yaakov leaves home, heading to Charan. On his way, he takes a
break, falls asleep and has a dream where God appears to him.
We
then read in Breisheet 28: 16-17:
Yaakov
awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely God 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.”
Ramban
comments that the words “This is none other than the abode of God, and that is
the gateway to heaven” refer to the
Sanctuary which is the gate through which the prayers and sacrifices ascend to
heaven.
Ramban adds: From
here you learn that whoever prays in Jerusalem is considered as if they prayed
before the Throne of Glory, for the gate of heaven is open there to receive the
prayer of Israel, as it is said “and that is the gateway to heaven.”
We learn in the Talmud, Brachot 28b:
While praying, one must face toward
the direction of the Holy Temple. One who was riding on a donkey should dismount
and pray calmly. If they are unable to dismount, they should
turn their face toward the direction of the Temple. If they
are unable to turn their face, it is sufficient to focus their heart
opposite the Holy of Holies. Similarly, one who
was traveling in a ship or on a raft and is unable to turn and
face in the direction of Jerusalem should focus their heart opposite the Holy of
Holies.
Brachot 30a continues:
One who
is standing in prayer in the
Diaspora, should focus their heart toward Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated: “And
they shall pray to You by way of their land which
You have given to their fathers” (I Kings 8:48). One who
is standing in Eretz Yisrael, should focus their heart toward Jerusalem, as it
is stated: “And they shall pray to the Lord by way of the city that You have
chosen” (I Kings 8:44).One who
is standing in Jerusalem, should focus his heart toward the Temple, as it is
stated: “And they shall pray toward this house” (II Chronicles 6:32). One who is standing in the Temple, should
focus his heart toward the Holy of Holies, as it is stated: “And they shall
pray toward this place” (I Kings 8:35).One who
is standing in the Holy of Holies, should focus his heart toward the seat of
the ark-cover, atop the ark, the dwelling
place of God’s glory. One who is standing behind the seat of the ark-cover,
should imagine that they are standing before the ark-cover and turn toward it.
Consequently, one standing in
prayer in the east turns to face west, and one standing in the west, turns to face east. One standing in the south, turns to face north, and one standing in the north, turns to face south; all of the people of Israel find
themselves focusing their hearts toward one place, the Holy of Holies in the Temple.
We see from here that all of our prayers pass
through Jerusalem and the Temple Mount before ascending to heaven. While
technically one can pray anywhere, the closer one can get to the Temple Mount,
the better. This is why people from all over the world pray at the Kotel, the
Western Wall which is at the footsteps of the Temple Mount and why groups of
Jews would like to be granted the opportunity to pray on the Temple Mount.
