Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Harry J. Kaufman on 13 February 1951

Contributor(s):

Harry J. Kaufman and the Congressional Record of the United States of America

Shared on:

5 February 2024 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies, United States of America

Tags:

58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, U.S. House of Representatives, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, United States in the Korean War, Containment, 82nd Congress, 20th century C.E., תחינות teḥinot

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Harry J. Kaufman, Beth Sholom Congregation, Washington, D.C.
Date of Prayer: 13 February 1951
Sponsor: n/a

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Sovereign of the Universe: In these challenging days our hearts are turned to Thee in prayer.
	Be Thou with those who guide the destinies of our Republic. Shepherd them with Thy wisdom that their judgments may be true and pure. Grant them of Thy love that they may know the heart of all the people. Send before them Thy pillar of light, to unite all Thy children in finding the road to enduring peace.
	By Thy grace and manifold blessings Thou hast made this land the chosen of all nations. Help us to remember that if we be chosen, it is not for privilege but for responsibility, not to be served but to serve, not alone to gain liberty but to grant it.
	O Heavenly Father: Let be heard Thy word speaking to America through the Prophet even as Thou didst speak to ancient Israel. “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and have taken hold of thy hand and kept thee and set thee for a covenant of the peoples, for a light of the nations; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon and those that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” (Isaiah 42:6.)
	Amen.

This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the second month of the first session of the 82nd US Congress. The source images of the prayer were copied by Howard Mortman and shared via his @CongressRabbi Twitter account. All credit to Howard Mortman for his research in digging up this prayer. Unfortunately, neither the source images nor his tweets provide an exact citation reference to the volume, issue, and page number of the Congressional Record in which the prayer was published. If you know, leave a comment, or contact us.

Source(s)

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain (Harry J. Kaufman, 13 February 1951) – a

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain (Harry J. Kaufman, 13 February 1951) – b

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Harry J. Kaufman on 13 February 1951” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Harry J. Kaufman

Rabbi Harry (Yehoshua Heschel) Kaufman (1923-) was born in Tarnopol, Poland and arrived in America at age six on the Lower East Side. He studied at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and, in 1948, received semikhah from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. Concurrently with his Yeshiva studies, the future Rabbi Kaufman earned an undergraduate degree from Columbia University. From 1948 -1969, Rabbi Kaufman served Beth Sholom Congregation in Washington, DC. As President of the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington, Rabbi Kaufman was a member of President Nixon’s first inaugural committee. Upon being invited to the prayer service that would precede the inauguration, he declined, explaining that he could not enter a church. As a result, the service was moved to the auditorium of the State Department and Rabbi Kaufman did participate. After Beth Sholom, Rabbi Kaufman served as rabbi of the Young Israel of Montreal where he is a Dayan of the Beth Din of Montreal, a member of the Vaad Harabonim of Montreal, and a past President of the Rabbinical Council of Montreal. He holds a doctorate from London University in London Ontario. In 2015, he published Ohr Yehoshua, containing his original thoughts on the parashah and festivals.

the Congressional Record of the United States of America

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Printing Office and issued when Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks. At the end of a session of Congress, the daily editions are compiled in bound volumes constituting the permanent edition. Statutory authorization for the Congressional Record is found in Chapter 9 of Title 44 of the United States Code. (wikipedia)

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Works of related interest:

Flag of the United States House of Representatives

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Harry H. Epstein on 16 March 1978

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Harry Nelson on 23 May 1963

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arthur T. Buch on 25 April 1951

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Jay Kaufman on 17 April 1967

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Meyer Heschl Leifer on 11 February 1965

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Dr. Leo Baeck on 12 February 1948

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Robert S. Widom on 17 February 1970

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17