What graffiti on the Kotel can tell us about Egypt
What messianic graffiiti on the Kotel can teach us about Egypt delivered Sat., February 5, 2011 / 1 Adar I 5771, United Synagogue of Hoboken Who in their right mind would think of writing graffiti on the Kotel, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, the last remnant of the Temple that stood in Jerusalem thousands of years ago?! This is a question that is asked by many tourists to Israel when they visit the part of the Kotel referred to as “Robinson’s Arch.” This is a section of the Western Wall of the 2nd Temple plaza that was buried in rubble for thousands of years. If you visit Robinson’s Arch, you can see a large Hebrew inscription carved into one of the Western Wall’s stones. It’s actually a quotation from the Haftarah we read this morning, the Haftarah designated for the confluence of Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh [the first day of a Hebrew month]. It’s from the Book of Isaiah, 66:14: Ur’item, ve-sas libchem; va-atzmoteichem ka-deshe. “You shall see, and your heart shall re