Mechitza
![This mechitza was created for the Suburban Torah Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and features carved glass ornamentation.](/Images/godic/202501/26/Mejitza5456.jpg")
![Separation between men and women at the Western Wall, 2012](/Images/godic/202501/26/Mechitza5456.jpg")
![View over the Mechitza from the women's balcony of the B'nai Jacob Synagogue (Ottumwa, Iowa).](/Images/godic/202501/26/B'NaiJacobOttumwaMechitza5456.JPG")
A mechitza (Hebrew: מחיצה, partition or division, pl.: מחיצות, mechitzot) in Jewish Halakha is a partition, particularly one that is used to separate men and women.
The rationale for a partition dividing men and women is given in the Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 51b, 52a). A divider in the form of a balcony was established in the Temple in Jerusalem for the occasion of the Simchat Beit Hasho'evah (Water Drawing Ceremony) on Sukkot, a time of great celebration and festivity. The divider was first established to preserve modesty and attention during this time.