[Avodah] Kosel vs. Shul

[Jonathan Baker]

From: "Doron Beckerman" <beck072 at gmail.com>
 
> My understanding of the Maala of davening at the Kosel vs. other places is
> "Shechinah Lo Zazah Misham (as the Medrash Shir Hashirim says on the Passuk
> of Hinei Omed Achar Kosleinu). If there is an intensified presence of the
> Shechinah, that makes it a place where it is better to daven, perhaps in the
> sense of not requiring Malachim to bring the Tefillos to Hashem, similar to
> a Choleh (Yoreh Deah 335:5) where the Shechinah is L'Maala Meraishosav

As I continue to question almost everything written by this rav who has my
ancestral name...

The Midrash may say that.  The Gemara in Megillah 29a, quoted by Rashi
in Dt 30:3 "veshav vekabetz'cha" also says the Shechinah is in exile with
the rest of us, so the Kosel or the Ramban shul shouldn't make any difference:
it's all outside the Haram es-Sharif.

That's all assuming that God's essence has a physical location that is not
also every other physical location.  As long as we can assume such a situation
is not only possible but necessary, what's to stop us from assuming that God's
essence was clothed in a body for 33 years, 2000 years ago?

These statements about the physical location of the Shechinah can't
be meant literally, they must be saying something else.

Actually, the Midrash in Shir Hashirim Rabbah 2:9 says nothing of the
kind, only that the Western and Southern Walls would never be destroyed,
per Divine promise.  I wonder if that's really the case?  E.g., why 
davka those two?  The north and east walls of the Temple enclosure are just
as much in existence today as they were when Herod expanded them 2050 years
ago.  Maybe the South and West Walls of the Beis Hamikdash itself were still
standing 1600 years ago?

Midrash Rabbah 11:2 also explicates the verse, and gives as the reason
for the Western Wall not being destroyed (not mentioning the Chuldah Gates
this time) is that the Shechinah is in the West.  Sounds pretty symbolic
to me, not that I know what idea it's representing, other than that the 
Kodesh Hakodoshim was in the West end of the Temple building.  In which
case, its literal interpretation is demonstrably false, no?  Because the
West end of the Temple Building is gone, just like all the other sides.

So I don't see the Midrash saying what R' Beckerman (and various online
sources) claim it does - evidently some lacuna in my understanding.

--
        name: jon baker              web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker
     address: jjbaker at panix.com     blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com