4.5 Western Wall—Wailing Wall西墙——哭墙

耶路撒冷犹太教圣迹西墙又称哭墙，亦有“叹息之壁”之称。它是耶路撒冷旧城古代犹太国第二圣殿护墙的一段，也是第二圣殿护墙的仅存遗址。犹太教把该墙看作是第一圣地，教徒至该墙例须哀哭，以表示对古神庙的哀悼并期待其恢复。千百年来，流落在世界各个角落的犹太人回到圣城耶路撒冷时，便会来到这面石墙前低声祷告，哭诉流亡之苦，所以被称为“哭墙”。犹太人相信它的上方就是上帝，祈祷时男女有别。进入广场墙前，男士必须戴上传统帽子，因为他们认为，让脑袋直接对着上帝是不敬的。历经千年的风雨和朝圣者的抚触，哭墙石头也泛泛发光，如泣如诉一般。

公元初年，欧洲人认为耶路撒冷才是欧洲的尽头，而这面墙则是欧亚分界线。哭墙高约20公尺、长50公尺，中间屏风相隔。哭墙是犹太教圣殿两度修建、两度被毁的痕迹。尽管该围墙为伊斯兰圣地西墙的一段，但犹太人仍然把它视为本民族信仰和团结的象征，是犹太民族2000年来流离失所的精神家园，也是犹太人心目中最神圣的地方。今每逢犹太教安息日时，尚有人到哭墙去表示哀悼，还有许多信仰者将心愿或悼念之辞写于纸上塞进墙壁的缝隙里。

The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it is a remnant（遗迹）of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the "Wailing Wall" by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament（哀悼）the loss of their temple.

The Western Wall Plaza, the large open area that faces the Western Wall, functions as an open-air synagogue（犹太教会堂）that can accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers. Prayers take place here day and night, and special services are held here as well.

The Western Wall was built by King Herod in 20 B.C. during his expansion of the Temple enclosure, and is part of a retaining wall that enclosed the western part of Temple Mount. According to the Roman—Jewish historian Josephus, construction of the walls took 11 years, during which time it rained in Jerusalem only at night so as not to interfere with the workers' progress.

In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple. During the Ottoman Period (beginning in the 16th century), the wall became the Jews' chief place of pilgrimage, where they came to lament the destruction of the Temple.

For centuries, the Western Wall was located in a narrow alley just 12 feet wide that could accommodate only a few hundred densely（密集地）packed worshipers. But in 1967, immediately after the Six Day War, Israelis leveled the neighboring Arab district to create the Western Wall Plaza, which can accommodate tens of thousands of pilgrims.

At the same time, the Israelis made the wall about 6 1/2 feet higher by digging down and exposing two more tiers of ashlars (squared stones)（方石堆）from the Temple Plaza's retaining wall that had been buried by accumulated debris（残骸）for centuries.

The huge, lower stones (ashlars) of the wall are from the time of Herod, while those higher up date from Omayyad and Fatimid times. The sides of the Herodian monumental ashlars have been carved with such precision that they rest perfectly against and on top of each other, without mortar（灰泥）. Over the centuries, the fine straight lines and margins of some of the ashlars have eroded away.

At the prayer section of the Western Wall, grass grows out of the upper cracks. The lower cracks of the chalky, yellow-white blocks have been stuffed with bits of paper containing written prayers. Orthodox Jews can be seen standing at the wall, chanting and swaying. Some Jews visit the wall daily to recite the entire Book of Psalms（《圣咏集》）.

In addition to the daily and Sabbath（安息日）prayer services, special events like Bar and Bat Mitzvah are also celebrated at the Western Wall. On Tisha B'Av, which falls in July or August, a fast is held commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temple, and worshipers sit on the ground reciting the Book of Lamentations（《耶利米哀歌》）and liturgical dirges.

Visitors of all religions are welcome to approach the Wall and to pray silently beside it. Men who would like to go to the wall must wear a hat or take a free head covering from a box beside the entrance to the prayer area.

Women may also borrow the required shawls and short-skirt coverings. A dividing screen reserves an area at the extreme right of the Western Wall for women, who are not allowed into the men's section in keeping with Orthodox Jewish tradition.

In the right hand corner of the Women's Prayer Area, beside a protruding（突出的）newer building, you can see an area of the Wall composed of small, rough stones. These stones block a fragment of a Herodian era gate to the Temple Mount, today called Barclay's Gate after the 19th-century American consul（领事）who first identified it.

To the south of the earthen ramp leading up the Temple Mount, you can see a fragment of large stonework protruding out of the Wall. This is Robinson's Arch, all that remains of a great stairway, set on arches, that passed over the busy market street at the foot of the Western Wall, and led directly into the Great Stoa on the southern side of Temple Mount.

For an idea of how high the original construction was, enter the doorway to the Western Wall Tunnel located between the men's rest rooms and the public telephones on the plaza's northern side. Both men and women can enter free upon request (closed Saturday). Enter the dark labyrinth of vaults and chambers, pitfalls (now rendered safe by lamps, grates, and barriers), and passages.

Inside, the continuation of the Wall is clearly visible. Shafts have been sunk along the Wall to show its true depth. The arches in this artificial cavern（洞穴）date from various eras, ranging from Herodian (37 B.C.—70 A.D.) to Crusader (1100—1244). The platform is behind a prayer room filled with Orthodox worshippers. The prayer room is off-limits to women, except in the viewing area.

用英语畅谈Western Wall黄金句

☺ The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish sites.圣殿西墙是耶路撒冷地区犹太教徒最重要的圣地。

☺ It has also been called the “Wailing Wall” by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament the loss of their temple.欧洲的一些观察家们也称之为“哭墙”，因为几个世纪以来，犹太教徒都聚集在这里哀悼消失的圣殿。

☺ The Western Wall was built by King Herod in 20 B.C. during his expansion of the Temple enclosure.公元前20年，希律王在对圣殿围墙进行扩建时建造了圣殿西墙。

☺ In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple.公元70年，罗马人摧毁了耶路撒冷和圣殿。

☺ Visitors of all religions are welcome to approach the Wall and to pray silently beside it.任何宗教的游客都可以来此墙边默默祈祷。

☺ Inside, the continuation of the Wall is clearly visible.在里面，墙的延伸部分清晰可见。

用英语畅谈Western Wall