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Tags:Date of Prayer: 13 May 1992
Sponsor: Rep. Brian J. Donnelly (D-MA)
Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to introduce to my colleagues Rabbi Rachmiel Liberman of Quincy, Massachusetts, in my district, who delivered the opening prayer today in the House Chamber.
Rabbi Liberman has been spokesman and spiritual leader for the Jewish community across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for several years. For over thirteen years, he has been the executive director of the Jewish Educational Center located in Brookline, Massachusetts, which also has several affiliated branches nationwide.
Serving on the Governor’s Commission of Chaplains in State institutions, Rabbi Liberman has been influential in drafting several pieces of pertinent legislation which have benefited every member of the religious community. Most notable was a consumer protection provision signed by then Governor Michael Dukakis in 1990 coined the “Kosher Law,” in which food and other grocery products must be explicitly labeled with details of its ingredients.
A man of many skills and responsibilities, Rabbi Liberman has taken each and every post appointed to him and served the public with enthusiasm and intelligence. A dedicated public servant, he currently serves as president of the Rabbinical Board of New England—a task that bears great weight and importance as he represents several rabbis around the New England States.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration and respect that I am able to host Rabbi Liberman on his visit to the House of Representatives.
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We have recently read in the Weekly Bible Portion recited at synagogue services, God’s command to Moses, “That they shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell within them.” (Exodus 25:8) Our sages teach us that the term ‘I will dwell within them,’ instead of the usual form ‘I will dwell within it,’ comes that God will dwell within the heart of each and every person, when he or she strives to build a sanctuary for God.[1] Find Malbim on Exodus 25:8.12. From Pinchas Peli as quoted by Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus: “in the alternate reading of a verse from MALBIM (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel, a 19th century commentator). He chose to read v’shachanti b’tocham, “I will dwell among them” as “I will dwell within them.” He wrote: “. . . in them, the people, not in it, the sanctuary. We are each to build a Tabernacle in our own heart for God to dwell in.” (Pinchas H. Peli, Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture (Washington, DC: B’nai B’rith Books, 1987), pp. 82-83.) | |
God of Heaven and of the Earth, King of the universe, we are assembled here today in the Capitol, with the men and women who have been chosen by the citizens of the United States of America, to represent them in government; and in them, millions of people have placed their faith and confidence to make decisions and to pass laws on behalf of their families in vital matters pertaining to life, safety, health, security, education, harmony, and peace of mind. | |
Help us to remember that the future before us and is dynamic. Everything we do will affect it. The dawn of each day brings with it a new frontier, if only we shall recognize it. | |
We beseech You, O mighty God to grant us clear vision, that we may know where to stand and what to stand for. | |
Help us to realize that it is better to fail for a cause that will ultimately succeed, than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail. | |
Strengthen and sustain us to overcome our shortcomings, and may we all enjoy peace, tranquillity, and brotherly love for all mankind. | |
And help us to build a sanctuary, so that You will dwell within us, and within those whom we have chosen to lead us in government. Amen. |
Source(s)
102nd Congress, 2nd Session. C-SPAN.
Congressional Record, Vol. 138, Part 8 — Bound Edition, p. 11189.
Congressional Record v. 138, part 8 – 13 May. p. 11189
Notes
| 1 | Find Malbim on Exodus 25:8.12. From Pinchas Peli as quoted by Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus: “in the alternate reading of a verse from MALBIM (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel, a 19th century commentator). He chose to read v’shachanti b’tocham, “I will dwell among them” as “I will dwell within them.” He wrote: “. . . in them, the people, not in it, the sanctuary. We are each to build a Tabernacle in our own heart for God to dwell in.” (Pinchas H. Peli, Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture (Washington, DC: B’nai B’rith Books, 1987), pp. 82-83.) |
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“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Rachmiel Liberman on 13 May 1992” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Rachmiel Liberman
United States Congressional Record
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