KOL HA’IR (Jerusalem, Israel) 18 August 03 Gecko Glamour (Neta Sela)
Something is happening at the Western Wall: every night, at midnight, dozens of worshippers wait for a gecko to appear from the stones. Her appearance has kabbalistic significance, since in numerology, gecko works out the same as the Hebrew world nishmat [the soul of], the first word of a prayer considered to ensure success and give help to souls needing help.
Recently this has become quite an attraction. Every night worshippers, mainly Haredim, come to the Western Wall and at midnight say the “nishmat kol hai” prayer along with verses from Psalms. As they pray, the white gecko is seen peeking out the stones. Haredim, known for their fondness for magic and mysticism, believe there is a connection between the prayer and the gecko’s appearance. At five minutes to midnight, the stream of worshippers toward the divider between the men and women’s sections becomes apparent. The prayer is said near the divider so that the women can also see. Some come with cameras.
The rumor going around is that Rabbi Haim Kanievski, one of the important Lithuanian rabbis, found the link between the prayer and the gecko. The nishmat prayer is known as a prayer of thanks and as a good luck charm for success.
At first, very few attended the prayer, but the rumor spread quickly and now people come in droves.
“Every animal has a verse of its own, and the verse for the gecko appears in the nishmat prayer and it comes out to join with the worshippers,” said one woman.
Other believers explain that by participating in the prayers, the gecko helps erring souls.