As was the practice starting 300 years ago, thousands of visitors to the Western Wall leave notes in its crevices and along with other messages sent online, the notes are removed twice a year and treated with reverence.
Ynet reports that more than 20,000 notes from 100 countries were sent from abroad to the Western Wall over the past half year, The Rabbi of the Western Wall said on Sunday. The United States, Brazil, Canada, and Colombia are among the top ten countries with the most notes sent.
With the approach of the new year and according to tradition, prayer notes that were placed between the Western Wall stones during the past half-year were removed. The removal is carried out according to halakhic instructions and using gloves and disposable wooden tools, with the goal of making space for new notes from tourists and visitors expected to arrive in Jerusalem in the coming months.
The notes are collected in bags and buried together with worn sacred books in a place specifically designated for this purpose. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz accompanied the removal and recited a prayer for the unity of the Jewish people and for the thousands of visitors who placed their prayers between the stones.
Source - Ynet - Image - The Western Wall Heritage Foundation