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

Contributor(s):

Jacob Handler and the Congressional Record of the United States of America

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15 January 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:

57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, 87th Congress, 20th century C.E., תחינות teḥinot

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Jacob Handler, Temple Israel, Manchester, New Hampshire
Date of Prayer: 17 January 1962
Sponsor: n/a

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Ovinu shebashomaim: Our Father, who art in heaven, Eternal Ruler of the universe, with humility in our hearts we pour forth our gratitude unto Thee for the beneficence and loving kindness which Thou hast bestowed upon Thy people. Thou hast inspired men in the past to look for new horizons, and, discovering a land with inexhaustible material resources and precious spiritual blessings— a land now inhabited by people who, though of diversified backgrounds, are united by the bond of a common destiny— to be of service to Thee and to the United States of America for spiritual triumphs of freedom and liberty over the forces of evil and enslavement.
	O merciful Father, in whose hand are the souls of the living and the dead, be with us, assembled in this great Chamber, as we consecrate this hour to the memory of a man of valor and vision, of great courage and devotion, whose deeds and action, here in the Senate and in his own beloved home State, New Hampshire, represented the highest ideals of noble living and American citizenship.
	Grant that the soul of the Honorable Styles Bridges,^[1] Henry Styles Bridges (September 9, 1898 – November 26, 1961) was an American teacher, editor, and Republican Party politician from Concord, New Hampshire. He served one term as the 63rd governor of New Hampshire before a twenty-four-year career in the United States Senate. whose memory we cherish, may be bound up in the bond of everlasting life. May the reminiscences of his life stir our finer sensibilities and arouse within us a desire to emulate the splendid example set for us by Styles Bridges as he served Thee and his fellow men with such great sincerity, kindness, loyalty, and devotion, in fulfilling the teaching of the ancient sages, which is that the world exists on three basic principles: Upon learning, upon service to fellow men, and upon the practice of benevolence.^[2] A secular, civic reading of the statement of Shimon haTsadiq in Mishnah Avot 1.2.
	O God, who art manifested in the lives of good men and in the righteousness of nations, keep our Nation forever righteous and just.
	Vouchsafe unto those who have been chosen to lead our Nation wisdom equal to their strength and courage equal to their great responsibilities— to help make our land a mighty force of righteousness among the nations of the world. Amen.

This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered near the beginning of the second session of the 87th 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 (Jacob Handler, 17 January 1962)

Notes[+]

Notes
1	Henry Styles Bridges (September 9, 1898 – November 26, 1961) was an American teacher, editor, and Republican Party politician from Concord, New Hampshire. He served one term as the 63rd governor of New Hampshire before a twenty-four-year career in the United States Senate.
2	A secular, civic reading of the statement of Shimon haTsadiq in Mishnah Avot 1.2.

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“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Jacob Handler on 17 January 1962” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Jacob Handler

Rabbi Jacob Handler (1914-2007) was ordained a rabbi at Yeshiva University and began serving as a rabbi since 1941. After serving Temple Israel in Manchester, New Hampshire he came to Temple Beth Israel (Providence, Rhode Island) beginning in 1964, and later to Temple Beth Sholom. Rabbi Handler served as Jewish chaplain for the Rhode Island State Institutions and on four occasions, as chaplain for the National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America, who honored him with their St. George award. He was also involved with the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Rabbi Handler's educational background included a bachelors degree from Vermont Teachers College, a Master of Arts in Government degree from the University of New Hampshire, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Burton College. He taught Political Science at the Rhode Island Junior College (later the Community College of Rhode Island).

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:

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Max M. Landman on 26 January 1961

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Leo M. Franklin on 19 January 1917

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Abram Simon on 16 January 1905

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Chaim U. Lipschitz on 28 March 1962

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Alfred Cohen on 27 January 1972

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Barry Block on 31 January 2017

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Daniel Fellman on 29 January 2009

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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