94

The English tells it wrong, but the Hebrew is perfect.
(Also, JPS translates עתק as "arrogancy" versus Artscroll's "lies.")

Psalms Chapter 94 תְּהִלִּים

א  אֵל-נְקָמוֹת יְהוָה;    אֵל נְקָמוֹת הוֹפִיעַ.	1 O LORD, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.
ב  הִנָּשֵׂא, שֹׁפֵט הָאָרֶץ;    הָשֵׁב גְּמוּל, עַל-גֵּאִים.	2 Lift up Thyself, Thou Judge of the earth; render to the proud their recompense.
ג  עַד-מָתַי רְשָׁעִים יְהוָה:    עַד-מָתַי, רְשָׁעִים יַעֲלֹזוּ.	3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
ד  יַבִּיעוּ יְדַבְּרוּ עָתָק;    יִתְאַמְּרוּ, כָּל-פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן.	4 They gush out, they speak arrogancy; all the workers of iniquity bear themselves loftily.
ה  עַמְּךָ יְהוָה יְדַכְּאוּ;    וְנַחֲלָתְךָ יְעַנּוּ.	5 They crush Thy people, O LORD, and afflict Thy heritage.
ו  אַלְמָנָה וְגֵר יַהֲרֹגוּ;    וִיתוֹמִים יְרַצֵּחוּ.	6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
ז  וַיֹּאמְרוּ, לֹא יִרְאֶה-יָּהּ;    וְלֹא-יָבִין, אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב.	7 And they say: 'The LORD will not see, neither will the God of Jacob give heed.'
ח  בִּינוּ, בֹּעֲרִים בָּעָם;    וּכְסִילִים, מָתַי תַּשְׂכִּילוּ.	8 Consider, ye brutish among the people; and ye fools, when will ye understand?
ט  הֲנֹטַע אֹזֶן, הֲלֹא יִשְׁמָע;    אִם-יֹצֵר עַיִן, הֲלֹא יַבִּיט.	9 He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see?
י  הֲיֹסֵר גּוֹיִם, הֲלֹא יוֹכִיחַ:    הַמְלַמֵּד אָדָם דָּעַת.	10 He that instructeth nations, shall not He correct? even He that teacheth man knowledge?
יא  יְהוָה--יֹדֵעַ, מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָדָם:    כִּי-הֵמָּה הָבֶל.	11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
יב  אַשְׁרֵי, הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר-תְּיַסְּרֶנּוּ יָּהּ;    וּמִתּוֹרָתְךָ תְלַמְּדֶנּוּ.	12 Happy is the man whom Thou instructest, O LORD, and teachest out of Thy law;
יג  לְהַשְׁקִיט לוֹ, מִימֵי רָע--    עַד יִכָּרֶה לָרָשָׁע שָׁחַת.	13 That Thou mayest give him rest from the days of evil, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
יד  כִּי, לֹא-יִטֹּשׁ יְהוָה עַמּוֹ;    וְנַחֲלָתוֹ, לֹא יַעֲזֹב.	14 For the LORD will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance.
טו  כִּי-עַד-צֶדֶק, יָשׁוּב מִשְׁפָּט;    וְאַחֲרָיו, כָּל-יִשְׁרֵי-לֵב.	15 For right shall return unto justice, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
טז  מִי-יָקוּם לִי, עִם-מְרֵעִים;    מִי-יִתְיַצֵּב לִי, עִם-פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן.	16 Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
יז  לוּלֵי יְהוָה, עֶזְרָתָה לִּי--    כִּמְעַט, שָׁכְנָה דוּמָה נַפְשִׁי.	17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt in silence.
יח  אִם-אָמַרְתִּי, מָטָה רַגְלִי;    חַסְדְּךָ יְהוָה, יִסְעָדֵנִי.	18 If I say: 'My foot slippeth', Thy mercy, O LORD, holdeth me up.
יט  בְּרֹב שַׂרְעַפַּי בְּקִרְבִּי--    תַּנְחוּמֶיךָ, יְשַׁעַשְׁעוּ נַפְשִׁי.	19 When my cares are many within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.
כ  הַיְחָבְרְךָ, כִּסֵּא הַוּוֹת;    יֹצֵר עָמָל עֲלֵי-חֹק.	20 Shall the seat of wickedness have fellowship with Thee, which frameth mischief by statute?
כא  יָגוֹדּוּ, עַל-נֶפֶשׁ צַדִּיק;    וְדָם נָקִי יַרְשִׁיעוּ.	21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.
כב  וַיְהִי יְהוָה לִי לְמִשְׂגָּב;    וֵאלֹהַי, לְצוּר מַחְסִי.	22 But the LORD hath been my high tower, and my God the rock of my refuge.
כג  וַיָּשֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶם, אֶת אוֹנָם--    וּבְרָעָתָם יַצְמִיתֵם; יַצְמִיתֵם,    יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ.	23 And He hath brought upon them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own evil; {N} the LORD our God will cut them off. {P}

Success!

I did. I really, really did it. After weeks of trying (granted, most of that was waiting for a letter with a username and temporary password to show up in our mail), I finally created an online National Insurance account for Husbinator. ("National Insurance" is more commonly known as Bituach LeUmi, and it's Israel's hardcore real-socialist version of Social Security.)

Lo, within those same 30 minutes, I managed to transfer our automatic payments off of our Israeli bank account and onto our American credit card. (Because using our credit card is the best way we've found to transfer the American Dollars from Husbinator's salary into Israeli Shequels that we can use for useful stuff.)

I did it! Victory is mine! YEAH!!!!

(For the record, O mighty National Insurance Institute of Israel, I am in no way suggesting that I beat you. Or that you couldn't crush me slowly and tortuously as you have crushed countless others who dared wrestle with your mighty bureaucracy. I'm just implying that you have a great website, may it live and be well. Don't mind me.)

Woo-hoo!

Birkat Hatov V'hamaitiv

The fourth blessing of bentching (Grace After Meals) is "Hatov V'hamaitiv", ("The One Who is Good and Does Good").

The Rabbis added this blessing to bentching years after the failure of Bar Kochba's rebellion against the Romans, when the Jews were finally allowed to enter the city of Beitar and bury our dead. This was a moment of revisiting the bloody end of dreams of independence and safety. Instituting a blessing praising G-d for His goodness and care isn't necessarily the intuitive response.

It's hard, but it helps.

Also, it rained today. And that helps, too.

Tears

You know, I have so much awesome stuff to blog about that I haven't gotten around to yet. But when I heard the news today, I couldn't process it. For some reason, this picture finally let me cry:

October 1st is World Ballet Day. Go for it.