Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Jacob Agus on 20 July 1953

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription), Jacob Agus and the Congressional Record of the United States of America

Shared on:

19 June 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:

English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, 83rd Congress, 20th century C.E., תחינות teḥinot, 58th century A.M.

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Jacob Agus, Baltimore, Maryland
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 20 July 1953

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	O Master of the Universe, in humility and love, we pray for Thy help and guidance, that our Nation might be blessed by our deliberations and that we might be blessed in serving as faithful custodians of its great heritage and its noble vision.
	It is for peace we pray, the true substance of peace founded on understanding and tolerance, enabling ever greater numbers of men to move from the somber shadows of fear to the sunlight of freedom and dignity.
	Vast is the power of our Nation, the power for destruction as well as for construction; may we never use it but as Thy trustees, in humility, in justice, and in the love of all men.
	Menacing are the manifold dangers on the horizon today; may we face them steadily, yielding neither to fear nor to pride.
	Many are the crosscurrents that would confound our course; may we see the goals of our Nation straight and true— the building of good and freemen, not the pyramiding of power; the fostering of dignity and happiness, not the vain search for triumph and glory; the building of a great and dedicated society, not the tinsel symbols of blind arrogance.
	Upon us the eyes of a hundred and fifty million of our countrymen are turned; may we serve thine image, O God, within them, not the “idols of the marketplace,” which glitter momentarily in the false glare of popular favor.
	May Thy light and Thy strength ever be with the President of the United States, with the Members of this Assembly, and all who labor for the good of our Nation. Amen.

This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the seventh month of the first session of the 83rd US Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 99 part 7 (20 July 1953), page 23321.

Source(s)

Congressional Record, vol. 99, part 7 (20 July 1953), p. 9177

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Jacob Agus on 20 July 1953” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Jacob Agus

Rabbi Jacob Bernard Agus (November 8, 1911 – September 26, 1986), born in Poland, was a Conservative movement rabbi, theologian, and author in the United States. He played a key role in the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly.

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 Dr. Abraham Shusterman on 3 February 1953

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Moshe Feller on 14 July 1989

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Seymour Stauber on 25 July 1968

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Jacob Handler on 17 January 1962

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Israel Zoberman on 7 July 2004

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Jacob A. Max on 20 June 1966

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Jacob Handler on 26 June 1968

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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