Twice a year, on Sukkot and pesach, there is a giant priestly blessing (birchat cohenim) at the kotel. I’ve seen pictures of the crowds and large number of cohenim under their tallitot blessing people, and as part of my attempts to fit as much as possible into this year, I headed to the kotel early this morning. Definitely impressive number of folks there with no free inch throughout the kotel plaza. Nothing like a huge amount of pushing and jostling by others trying to move forward and the selfie posing and talking on the phone to kill any chance at religious inspiration. I did bring my lulav to the kotel (and used it) and had my tallit wrapped around my neck as a scarf and no one said anything to me and did see a few other women waving lulavs.
Cohenim covering themselves as they bless the community