https://opensiddur.org/?p=22742Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on 16 June 20032018-11-24 01:02:40The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 16 June 2003.Textthe Open Siddur ProjectUnited States Congressional RecordUnited States Congressional RecordArnold E. Resnicoffhttps://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/United States Congressional Recordhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/105United States of AmericaOpening Prayers for Legislative Bodiesתחינות teḥinot21st century C.E.58th century A.M.Abraham LincolnEnglish vernacular prayerPrayers of Guest ChaplainsSenate108th Congress
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, Retired Chaplain, U.S. Navy, Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 06/16/2003
Almighty God of freedom,
who gave us the promise and the dream of liberty
to be proclaimed throughout the land,
we pause before this session
to recall words spoken by a Senate nominee–
Abe Lincoln–
on this day, June 16, in 1858.
“A nation divided against itself cannot stand,” he said,
and we “cannot endure half slave, half free.”
O Lord our God and God of generations past,
we offer thanks for all the progress we have made
since that historic speech,
even as we recognize we still have more to do.
Slavery, the institution, is no more.
But let us unite in our resolve
that none should be enslaved by prejudice or hatred
that threatens the humanity and dignity
we have fought to recognize and guarantee;
that none,
victimized by ignorance or discrimination,
live lives half slave,
half free.
Grant us and all our leaders
the wisdom to debate and disagree,
with civility and respect,
the issues of the day.
But give us, we pray,
the wisdom and the faith we need
to safeguard a nation united, not divided–
indivisible,
as we pledge–
in our pursuit of liberty and justice for us all.
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Arnold E. Resnicoff (born 1946) is a Conservative rabbi who began his career serving as a military officer and then as a military chaplain. He served in Vietnam and Europe before attending rabbinical school after which he was a U.S. Navy Chaplain for almost 25 years. After the Vietnam War, he promoted the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and delivered the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. Rabbi Resnicoff was present at the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and the following year, President Ronald Reagan shared Rabbi Resnicoff's eyewitness account. After retiring from the military he became the National Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and served as Special Assistant (for Values and Vision) to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, serving at the equivalent military rank of Brigadier General. Resnicoff holds several degrees, including an honorary doctorate. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the Chapel of Four Chaplains Hall of Heroes Gold Medallion.
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