By COLlive reporter
A new carpet was laid down in front of the Kotel in Jerusalem for kohanim to recite the Birchas Kohanim, on Thursday.
Some 80,000 people attended the ceremony which was the largest ever on Pesach, according to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
Many Jews from around Israel and visitors spending Pesach from abroad are coming to the Kotel in commemoration of the Aliya l’regel pilgrimage during the times of the Beis Hamikdash.
“Today we all felt great unity,” commented the Kotel’s Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich. “This is an impressive testimony to the connection of the Jewish people to the remnant of our Beis Hamikdash.”
In attendance were Israel’s Chief Rabbis Yitzchak Yosef and David Lau, as well as Agricultural Minister Uri Ariel, who is a cohen himself, and Religious Services Minister David Azulay.
The tradition of mass blessings during the two pilgrimage holidays was started by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gefner in 1970, who drew inspiration from the traditional saying that the Moshiach will come if 300 kohanim recite the blessings together.
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wow thank you for sharing
🙂 amen
Moshiach Now!!
So many Jews all there together united as one! Beautiful!