印度总理莫迪近期发表演讲，呼吁民众在今年雨季收集“每一滴雨水”，并敦促大家节约用水，以应对国内缺水的状况。其实，在节水问题上，印度可以学习更加缺水的以色列。《环球时报》记者曾多次赴以色列采访。在这个国家，除了人们所熟知的滴灌节水技术外，水更是一种独特的文化，扎根于犹太人的精神和血脉中。

In a recent speech, Indian Prime Minister modi called on the public to collect "every drop of rain" in this rainy season, and urged everyone to save water to cope with the water shortage in the country. In fact, on the issue of water conservation, India can learn from Israel, which is more short of water《 The reporter of Global Times has visited Israel many times. In this country, in addition to the well-known drip irrigation water-saving technology, water is a unique culture, rooted in the spirit and blood of Jews.

据以色列学者统计，在《旧约圣经》中，水及其其他形态出现了600多次，其中“露水”一词被提及35次，“水灾”出现61次，“云”出现了130次。

According to the statistics of Israeli scholars, in the Old Testament, water and other forms appeared more than 600 times, of which the word "dew" was mentioned 35 times, "flood" appeared 61 times, and "cloud" appeared 130 times.

“正如水面能够映出人的脸庞一样，人心也能体现一个人的品格”。这是犹太人有关水的著名谚语。一位知名的犹太教拉比（拉比是犹太人的特别阶层，主要是有学问的学者，经常担当许多犹太教仪式的主持）曾在演讲中说：“我的教义像雨一样落下，我的演讲如同露水一样；就像在年轻时下的阵雨一样，就像滴在草地上的小水滴一样”。演讲中全用水及其其他形态做比喻，被视为演讲范例，原因除了排比句设喻新颖外，显然还与以色列听众心中对水的情愫有关。

"Just as the surface of the water can reflect a person's face, the human heart can also reflect a person's character.". This is a famous Jewish proverb about water. A well-known rabbi of Judaism (rabbis are a special class of Jews, mainly learned scholars, who often preside over many Jewish ceremonies) once said in his speech: "my teachings fall like rain, and my speech is like dew; It's like a shower when you're young, like a little drop of water on the grass. All water and other forms of metaphor in the speech are regarded as examples of the speech. The reason is not only the novel metaphor of parallelism, but also the feelings of the Israeli audience for water.

在以色列文学作品中，水是永恒的主题。被称为现代以色列国父的西奥多·赫茨尔，在他的《新故土》一书中借小说主人公的口吻说：“只要有水和树荫，国家就会有一个非常伟大的未来”。在以色列小说家、散文家和剧作家亚伯拉罕·B·约书亚的小说《1970年初夏》中，水是纵贯全书的主题，强调只有水才能战胜贫瘠的沙漠。2018年去世的以色列当代最伟大作家之一阿摩司·奥兹，多次把水用作书名，如《触摸水，触摸风》、《一样的海》等。而他的名著《我的米海尔》，更是将雨的象征意义作为全书主线。这部关于20世纪50年代耶路撒冷生活的小说，将人物之间的亲密关系与雨相提并论。

In Israeli literature, water is the eternal theme. Theodore Herzl, known as the father of modern Israel, said in his new homeland that "as long as there is water and shade, the country will have a great future". In the early summer of 1970, written by Abraham B. Joshua, an Israeli novelist, essayist and playwright, water is the theme throughout the book, emphasizing that only water can overcome the barren desert. Amos Oz, one of the greatest contemporary Israeli writers who died in 2018, has used water as the title of his books for many times, such as touch the water, touch the wind and the same sea. And his famous book "my Mikhail" takes the symbolic meaning of rain as the main line of the book. This novel about the life in Jerusalem in the 1950s compares the intimate relationship between the characters with rain.

很多以色列儿歌的内容也和水有关。以色列父母会从小教孩子水的重要性，并让他们养成节约用水的好习惯。孩子在上学时，还会在夏天参加学校的雨水收集项目。不少犹太人告诉《环球时报》记者，他们有一个美好的愿望：以色列能有一条像尼罗河那样的大河，奔流不息流入死海，死海的水不再是咸水，而是甘甜的淡水，水里满是鱼虾，周边的沙漠里遍植果树，果树枝繁叶茂、果实累累。

A lot of Israeli nursery rhymes are also about water. Israeli parents will teach their children the importance of water from an early age, and let them form the good habit of saving water. When children go to school, they also participate in school rainwater collection projects in the summer. Many Jews told the global times that they have a good wish: Israel can have a big river like the Nile, flowing into the dead sea. The water in the dead sea is no longer salty water, but sweet fresh water. The water is full of fish and shrimp. The surrounding desert is full of fruit trees, which are luxuriant and fruity.

《环球时报》记者了解到，在犹太人的传统观念中，丰沛的雨水是神圣的祝福。犹太史书说，在埃及，河流在任何时候都能提供无限的水源，使人类得以脱离神的限制而独立；但以色列不同，“雨是在上帝的监督、关心和控制下从天上来的，如果以色列人履行了契约，雨水会在适当的时间以适当的数量降临，从而保证土地肥沃；如果人们不履行对上帝的承诺，上帝会‘让天空闭上’，这样就不会下雨，土地不会产出农作物，死亡也就不可避免地随之而来”。为此，诵经祈雨，甚至通过唱歌跳舞祈祷上苍降下甘霖，就成为犹太人的传统。以色列的水舞、水歌，是到了近代才问世的。一经诞生，即被视为重要的民间歌舞形式，现在已经成为不可或缺的民间表演艺术。

The reporter of Global Times learned that in the traditional Jewish concept, abundant rain is a sacred blessing. Jewish history books say that in Egypt, rivers can provide unlimited water at any time, enabling human beings to be independent from God; But Israel is different. "Rain comes from heaven under the supervision, care and control of God. If the Israelites fulfill the contract, rain will come at the right time and in the right amount, so as to ensure the fertility of the land; If people do not fulfill their promise to God, God will "close the sky" so that it will not rain, the land will not produce crops, and death will inevitably follow. Therefore, chanting scriptures and praying for rain, and even praying for rain through singing and dancing, have become Jewish traditions. The water dance and water song of Israel came out in modern times. Once born, it is regarded as an important form of folk song and dance, and now it has become an indispensable folk performing art.

以色列的水舞、水歌叫“玛依姆、玛依姆”（Mayim，希伯来语，是水的意思）。它于1937年第一次正式出现，当时是为了庆祝在沙漠中经过长达7年的搜寻，终于找到水源而表演的。舞者在跳舞的同时唱水歌。水舞迎合了当时的移民潮，被赋予高度的民族情感和爱国情怀。它的3个主要组成部分各有象征意义：第一段“寻觅水源”寓意向往自由、寻求独立；第二段“水流的澎湃汹涌”象征争取独立建国，以及不屈不挠的奋斗与牺牲；第三段“欢乐与感恩”描述的则是庆祝梦想的实现。

The water dance and water song of Israel are called "Mayim, Mayim" (Hebrew for water). It first appeared in 1937 to celebrate the discovery of water after seven years of searching in the desert. The dancers sang water songs while dancing. Water dance catered to the tide of immigrants at that time, and was endowed with a high degree of national emotion and patriotism. Its three main components have their own symbolic meanings: the first paragraph "seeking water source" means yearning for freedom and independence; The second paragraph "surging current" symbolizes the struggle for independence and the indomitable struggle and sacrifice; The third paragraph "joy and gratitude" describes celebrating the realization of dreams.

1947年10月，美国弗吉尼亚州举办民俗音乐节，犹太舞者希望利用这次机会宣传建国理念，他们演出的水舞受到极大欢迎，赢得了最佳表演奖。犹太人的水舞从此迅速传遍美国各地，再经由美国传遍全球。1947年11月，联合国通过决议，决定在巴勒斯坦土地上建立一个犹太国，一个阿拉伯国。1948年5月,以色列宣布建国。业内人士认为，水舞对联合国通过上述决议是否产生关键性影响不得而知，但其在美国“一战成名”的故事成为传奇。今天，水舞仍会不时地出现在以色列民间歌舞节目单上，并受到人们的青睐。

In October 1947, Virginia held a folk music festival in the United States. Jewish dancers hoped to use this opportunity to promote the idea of nation building. Their water dance was very popular and won the best performance award. From then on, the Jewish water dance quickly spread all over the United States, and then spread all over the world through the United States. In November 1947, the United Nations adopted a resolution to establish a Jewish state and an Arab state on the land of Palestine. In May 1948, Israel declared its founding. Industry insiders believe that whether water dance has a key impact on the adoption of the above-mentioned resolution by the United Nations is unknown, but its story of "becoming famous in World War I" in the United States has become a legend. Today, water dance still appears in the Israeli folk song and dance program list from time to time, and is favored by people.