 Rabbinic tradition teaches that the western wall was built upon foundations laid by the biblical King Solomon from the time of the First Temple . A Midrash compiled in Late Antiquity refers to a western wall of the Temple which " would never be destroyed " , and Lamentations Rabbah mentions how Rome was unable to topple the western wall due to the Divine oath promising its eternal survival . Another Midrash quotes a 4th @-@ century scholar : " Rav Acha said that the Divine Presence has never departed from the Western Wall " , and the Zohar similarly writes that " the Divine Presence rests upon the Western Wall " . 
