It is 2 am in Washington, DC. Horns are blaring "ta-ta-taa" (or, if you like, "teki'ah"), code for "Yes, we can!" and "O-bah-mah!" I just walked with the crowds to the White House where thousands are celebrating, young and old, all races, colors, and creeds.
What a day! What a night!
The day started for me 22 hours ago, when a mixture of excitement and liberal guilt woke me up and sent me to Alexandria, Virginia, where I watched polls and made phone calls for the Obama campaign. Then a half day at work, a small "party" for colleagues to watch the returns. When the networks projected Obama as the victor – at 11 pm Eastern Standard Time – the city erupted.
I hope my earplugs are working tonight. No, there is no way I can sleep through the din.
I will have a lot more to write tomorrow. About the Obama Landslide. About his Mandate. About why America can, and how it did. And why Israel can't, but can draw hope from a great country.
But for now…Barukh atah ha-Shem, elokeinu melekh ha-olam, she-heheyanu, ve-kiyimanu, ve-higi'anu la-zman ha-zeh. Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this great period of history."
3 comments:
Israel has had only one such occasion and that was in 1948.
In 1967 it lost the opportunity to have another by occupying the west bank.
The poison of occupation like the poison of segregation stays in the body politic and corrupts for a long time after it has been flushed out.
--Ploni
There is a wondrously amusing typo in this bracha. I'm just wondering what kind of university has a king!
But for now…Barukh atah ha-Shem, elokeinu melekh ha-olam, she-heheyanu, ve-kiyimanu, ve-higi'anu la-zman ha-zeh. Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the University, who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this great period of history."
::smile::
What university DOESN'T have a king?
Shucks, how embarrassing...especially since I posted it almost a week ago.
Now fixed.
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