[Avodah] western wall

[Daniel Israel]

Micha Berger wrote:
> According to Briskers (both US and Israel), qedushas Har haBayis starts at
> the *outside* of the wall. I'm not sure if that's vadai or safeiq (starts
> or "be careful, it might start"). And so (aside from them considering it a
> silly practice) both RYBS and his uncle suggested that someone who insists
> on putting a note into the kotel do so with a pen cap -- not their finger!

Furthermore, since the wall tapers in thickness slightly, and the base 
of the wall is actually significantly below ground level, there are 
those that hold, based on the above shita, that one should not stand too 
close to the wall (within about a foot, IIRC).

-- 
Daniel M. Israel
dmi1 at cornell.edu