Exhibit 38a- The Eastern Wall. In the bottom
center of the photo is the southeastern corner of Har HaBayis. The
Southern Wall goes off to the left and the Eastern Wall of Har Habayis
goes off to the right. Just as the Western and Southern Walls were part of
the original walls of Har HaBayis, so too is the Eastern Wall.
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Exhibit 38b- The Mercy Gate. Near the center of the Eastern
Wall is the Mercy Gate. Please note the Moslem cemetery that is in front
of the gate. Under the Mercy Gate, below the cemetery, is one of the
gateways into the Bais HaMikdash. It was called the Shushan Gate. An old
tradition tells that Eliyahu HaNavi will lead the Moshiach into the
Bais
HaMikdash through the Shushan Gate. To thwart Eliyahu's plans, the Moslems
built a cemetery hiding the gate. Since Eliyahu is a Cohain, he would not
be permitted to go anywhere near the Shushan Gate.
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Exhibit 38c- Mercy Gate. The Gemorah in Baba Metzia (114b)
records a dispute whether or not a cohain may enter into a non-Jewish
cemetery. The opinion of Eliyahu HaNavi was sought and he ruled that a
cohain may enter a non-Jewish cemetery. Obviously, the Moslems who
built the cemetery were not Talmudic scholars. In Medieval times, when
Jews were not allowed to visit the Kossel, they would gather in front of
the Mercy Gate to beg "rachmonis," mercy, from Hashem to grant
them the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of Tzion.
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Exhibit 38d- Mercy Gate. In the first Bais HaMikdash a building
stood here. It was built by Shlomo HaMelech. It had two rooms. In one room
the newly married men would congregate. In the other room, those who were
still in mourning would assemble. Others would come to those rooms and
offer the appropriate words of congratulations or condolence. When the
Second Bais HaMikdash was rebuilt, Shlomo's rooms were reconstructed. Much
of the building was destroyed during the "churban" but was later
repaired.
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Exhibit 38e- The Back of the Mercy Gate. The same architectural
design was used for the front and the back of the building.
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Exhibit 38f- Design of the Mercy Gate. The ornamentation of the Mercy
Gate building was done by the 4th century Byzantines.
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Exhibit 38g- Inside the
Mercy Gate.
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Exhibit 38h- Inside the
Mercy Gate.
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Exhibit 38i- The Domes of the Mercy Gate.
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