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Lord, thou governest the universe with wisdom and power; thou directest the destinies of nations with grace and justice; and the sacred laws, according to which thou rulest, are eternal and immutable, are imprinted on nature’s forehead, are written in letters of fire on man’s innermost scroll;[1] The image is undeniably taken from folklore associated with the legend of the Golem. According to some versions of the legend, the word אמת (truth) is imprinted on the Golem’s forehead animating the anthropoid. In other versions, the word is inscribed on a scroll and placed under their tongue. are an eternal evidence of thy unbounded benignity, of thy unlimited grace and imperceptible wisdom. | |
Feeble and imperfect as our intellect is, still thou hast bestowed upon us as much of the celestial light, as to know that liberty and justice are the fundamental principles of thy universal and sovereign government, and that it is man’s superior duty to imitate thy works and attributes. | |
Therefore, thy people have chosen Legislators, to maintain the liberties which thou hast granted unto us; to protect thy faithful children against the encroachments of power and despotism upon the inalienable rights of humanity; to maintain legal order in our community, by the provision of laws adequate to the exigencies of our progressive age, for the common benefit of all who choose to live under the powerful and protective pinions of this Empire State. | |
Gracious Father of mankind! mayest thou be pleased, when the men of our choice faithfully discharge their sacred duties towards their country and their fellow men; bless them with thy divine assistance, and enlighten them with thy profound wisdom; let their hearts be pure and their understanding capacious, in order that they be not misled by partiality and selfish interests; that they may never forget the confidence rested in them by their fellow citizens, and the sacred obligations they have to answer to before thee, O, God of justice and liberty; that their acts may prove to be an accomplishment of thy divine principles, a blessing to their country, and a benefit to their fellow men. | |
Let truth be the basis, glory and prosperity of our country, the superstructure of their legislation; so thy will, O, God of love and truth, be done now and evermore, Amen. |
This is one of three opening prayers offered by the guest chaplain, Rabbi Dr. Isaac Mayer Wise, before the Legislature of the State of New York, in the State Assembly (on Tuesday, the 13th of January or Thursday the 15th of January 1852), and in the State Senate (on Monday the 12th, Wednesday the 14th, or Friday the 16th). The prayer was published in The Asmonean (30 January 1852), in a letter dated 20 January from a correspondent identified only under the pseudonym “Bassist.” This prayer is one of two prayers offered in the letter. The body of the letter mentions three prayers, likely indicating that two of the three were given in both the Assembly and the Senate. It is unfortunate that we do not have the third prayer.
Source(s)
Letter from “Bassist,” 20 January 1852, in Correspondence (The Asmonean, 30 January 1852), p. 9
Notes
| 1 | The image is undeniably taken from folklore associated with the legend of the Golem. According to some versions of the legend, the word אמת (truth) is imprinted on the Golem’s forehead animating the anthropoid. In other versions, the word is inscribed on a scroll and placed under their tongue. |
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“Prayer №1 of the Guest Chaplain of the New York State Legislature: Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (in the week commencing 12 January 1852)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
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