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Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Gershon Avtzon, Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
Sponsor: Rep. Brad Wenstrup, (R-OH)
Date of Prayer: 07/25/2019
Sponsor: Rep. Brad Wenstrup, (R-OH)
Date of Prayer: 07/25/2019
Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the rabbi for coming to the Capitol today to share with us a time in prayer, a time when we often need it.
America has been through many battles. We have many debates. But we always come out strong, and we come out together, at the end of the day.
I thank the rabbi for his kind prayer and thoughtfulness as we proceed forward as a Nation.
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Almighty God, master of the universe, I invoke Your blessing today on the Members of this honorable institution, the House of Representatives of the United States of America. May they humbly serve their constituencies, aware that creating just legislation is one of the Seven Laws that You, almighty God, gave all humanity through Noaḥ,[1] The direct reference here is to Genesis 9:4. For the rabbinic teaching concerning the 7 mitsvot bnei Noaḥ, find Sanhedrin 56a.24; cf. Tosefta Avodah Zarah 9:4 and Genesis Rabbah 34:8. Six items were commanded to Adam: concerning idolatry, blasphemy, bloodshed, illicit sexuality, theft, and laws…God added to Noah, the law of not eating from the flesh of a live animal.” (Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 9:1). The impetus behind sharing the sheva mitsvot in the context of ḤaBaD Lubavitch originates with the following teaching of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson: “We must do everything possible to ensure that the seven Noahide laws are observed. If this can be accomplished through force or through other kinder and more peaceful means through explaining to non-Jews that they should accept God’s wishes [we should do so]…Anyone who is able to influence a non-Jew in any way to keep the seven commandments is obligated to do so, since that is what God commanded Moses our teacher,” (“Sheva Mitzvot Shel Benai Noach,” Hapardes 59:9 7-11, 5745). as detailed in Genesis. | |
Almighty God, as a descendant of Ḥassidic Jews who fled the Stalinist regime that persecuted religious observance, I am especially grateful and blessed to be in America, the nation called the “country of kindness”[2] R’ Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Sichos In English Volume 51, The 25th of Shvat, 5752 (1992) by the great spiritual leader of our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe Melekh HaMoshiaḥ,[3] ”King Messiah,” an extraordinary public declaration of Chabad Messianism. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.[4] Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 18, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to many as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply as the Rebbe, was a Russian Empire–born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, and the seventh and last rebbe of the Lubavitcher Ḥasidic dynasty. He is generally considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century. We thank you for the freedom we have here to practice our faith, and we pray for those who still suffer persecution around the world. | |
While legislating, by definition, includes differences of opinion and rigorous debate, I pray that we, nevertheless, anticipate our shared bright future in the time of redemption and, thus, remain “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”[5] The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States of America, as amended 1954. | |
אָמֵן׃ |
Amen. |
For photos and additional details, visit this article at ChabadInfo.com.
Source(s)
116th Congress, 1st Session. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 165, No. 126 — Daily Edition (July 25, 2019)
Notes
| 1 | The direct reference here is to Genesis 9:4. For the rabbinic teaching concerning the 7 mitsvot bnei Noaḥ, find Sanhedrin 56a.24; cf. Tosefta Avodah Zarah 9:4 and Genesis Rabbah 34:8. Six items were commanded to Adam: concerning idolatry, blasphemy, bloodshed, illicit sexuality, theft, and laws…God added to Noah, the law of not eating from the flesh of a live animal.” (Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 9:1). The impetus behind sharing the sheva mitsvot in the context of ḤaBaD Lubavitch originates with the following teaching of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson: “We must do everything possible to ensure that the seven Noahide laws are observed. If this can be accomplished through force or through other kinder and more peaceful means through explaining to non-Jews that they should accept God’s wishes [we should do so]…Anyone who is able to influence a non-Jew in any way to keep the seven commandments is obligated to do so, since that is what God commanded Moses our teacher,” (“Sheva Mitzvot Shel Benai Noach,” Hapardes 59:9 7-11, 5745). |
|---|---|
| 2 | R’ Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Sichos In English Volume 51, The 25th of Shvat, 5752 (1992) |
| 3 | ”King Messiah,” an extraordinary public declaration of Chabad Messianism. |
| 4 | Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 18, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to many as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply as the Rebbe, was a Russian Empire–born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, and the seventh and last rebbe of the Lubavitcher Ḥasidic dynasty. He is generally considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century. |
| 5 | The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States of America, as amended 1954. |
“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Gershon Avtzon on 25 July 2019” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
the Congressional Record of the United States of America
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