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Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights 点亮奉献：犹太光明节

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In 168 BC, the Holy City of Jerusalem was in turmoil. The Syrian Greek ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, had taken Jerusalem, outlawed Judaism, vandalized the Holy Temple, and dedicated the site to Zeus. Then a Greek officer and his soldiers gathered a group of Jews and ordered them to sacrifice a pig. The officer called on a Jewish High Priest, Mattathias, to take part, but Mattathias refused and slew the officer. The priest, his sons, and other villagers rose up against the soldiers and then fled to the hills.

公元前168年，圣城耶路撒冷陷入混乱。叙利亚的希腊统治者安提阿克4 世以比凡尼占领耶路撒冷，下令禁止犹太教并且破坏犹太人的圣殿，还把此地献给天神宙斯。接着一位希腊军官及他旗下士兵聚集了一群犹太人，命令他们用猪来献祭。这位军官还指定了犹太主教马他提亚来执行，但是马他提亚拒绝而且杀了那名军官。这位主教和他的儿子以及其他村民起义反抗这些希腊士兵后逃到了山上。

It took three years for the Jews to defeat the Greeks and reclaim their Holy Temple. Once there, they cleansed and repaired the holy building and rededicated the place to God. They lit a special lamp called a Menorah, but there was only a tiny amount of oil to burn. Amazingly, the oil burned for eight days. This is the miracle of Hanukkah – the Jewish word for dedication.

犹太人花了3年才击退希腊人、夺回他们的圣殿。他们一进入圣殿后就开始净化与修复圣殿，并且重新将它献给主。他们点了一种特别的灯，叫做七臂烛台，可是他们只有极少量的油可以烧。神奇地，这油燃烧了8天。这是哈奴卡──犹太文的「奉献」之意──的奇迹。

Hanukkah falls in November or December, and it is a time for Jews to commemorate their forefathers’ victory. The most important practice is lighting of the Menorah. One candle is lit each night for eight nights; hence Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights.

哈奴卡（光明节）介于11月或12月之间，此节日是犹太人纪念他们祖先胜利的时刻。最重要的习俗就是七臂烛台的点灯仪式。连续8天每个晚上会点一支蜡烛，也因此，哈奴卡又称为光明节。

It is a joyful time of year, featuring food, games, and songs. Two famous dishes are latke, potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, which are like doughnuts. Both are fried in oil, symbolizing the oil that burned in the temple. For fun, dreidel, a spinning-top game popular with Jews when Antiochus ruled, is played. But most importantly, Jews remember how God took care of their people over two thousand years ago.

这是一年中充满着食物、游戏、歌曲的欢乐时刻。两种有名的菜肴分别是称为latke的马铃薯煎饼以及类似甜甜圈的sufganiyot。两种都是油炸食品，象征圣殿里用以燃烧的油。至于游戏，则会玩一种称为dreidel的陀螺游戏，这种游戏在安提阿克统治时期在犹太人之间很流行。不过最重要的是，犹太人记得他们的主在两千多年前照顾着他们的子民。

－by Alice Davis

Vocabulary

单词发音

turmoil [ˋtɝmɔɪl] n. 骚动；混乱

outlaw [ˋaʊt͵lɔ] v. 宣布……为不合法

sacrifice [ˋsækrə͵faɪs] v. 牺牲；献出

priest [prist] n.（基督教）牧师；（天主教）神父

slay [sle] v.【书】杀死，杀害

rise up 起义  take part in a rebellion

flee [fli] v. 逃，逃走

defeat [dɪˋfit] v. 战胜，击败

miracle [ˋmɪrək!] n. 奇迹；奇迹般的人（或物）

forefather [ˋfor͵fɑðɚ] n. 祖先，祖宗

hence [hɛns] adv.【书】因此

spin [spɪn] v. 使（陀螺等）旋转

More Information

单词发音

Hanukkah [ˈhɑnəkə] n.（犹太教的）光明节

Jerusalem [dʒəˋrusələm] n. 耶路撒冷

vandalize [ˋvænd!͵aɪz] v. 任意破坏

call on 号召; 请求 to order or request to undertake a particular activity

reclaim [rɪˋklem] v. 取回

cleanse [klɛnz] v. 净化（某人的罪恶等）

lamp [læmp] n. 灯，油灯

Menorah [məˋnorə] n.（犹太教）七灯或九灯烛台

commemorate [kəˋmɛmə͵ret] v. 庆祝；纪念

latke [ˋlɑtkə] n. 马铃薯饼

doughnut [ˋdo͵nʌt] n. 油炸圈饼

dreidel ['dreɪdəl] n. 光明节陀螺

Reading Questions

1.  How did Mattathias react when the Greeks ordered him to take part in the sacrifice of a pig?

A.  He rebelled, fought, and run away.

B.  He asked his sons to make the sacrifice instead.    

C.  He killed all of the soldiers.

D.  He reluctantly killed the pig.

2.  From the article, how long would you expect Hanukkah to last?

A.  Three years.

B.  Two months.

C.  Just over a week.

D.  A day and a night.

3.  Which is NOT mentioned as part of the Hanukkah celebrations?

A.  Lighting the candles of the Menorah.

B.  Eating snacks cooked in oil.

C.  Playing a game beloved by the ruler Antiochus.

D.  Singing songs.

How To Light the Hanukkah Menorah

Potato Latkes Recipe

Traditional Chanukah Treats: How to Fry the Sufganiyot

Answer