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Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, Temple B’rith Kodesh, Rochester, New York
Sponsor: Sen. Jacob Javits (R-NY)
Date of Prayer: 23 April 1958
Sponsor: Sen. Jacob Javits (R-NY)
Date of Prayer: 23 April 1958
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O Thou, watching over Israel, we lift our hearts to Thee, as our fathers did before us, in gratitude and hope. We thank Thee for the heritage of faith that has sustained men and nations, for the light Thou didst shed on their way by Thy revelations of truth, for the ideals that have moved Thy children at their best and to their best. | |
Standing before Thee at this historic hour in this historic place, our thoughts turn to the ancient people who early found their way to Thee, clinging to Thee with unflagging devotion, bearing witness through the generations to Thy living presence. It was Thy love that sustained them, Thy promise which preserved them through every trial and tribulation, and brought them, creative and faithful, to this momentous hour. | |
Be with them now as, risen from the ashes of persecution and slaughter, they stand erect, strong and free in their ancestral homeland. They that sowed in tears have come home with joy, bearing their sheaves.[1] Psalms 126:6 Guide Thou their way, that out of Zion shall come forth the law, Thy law of justice for all mankind, and Thy word of light, healing, and hope for all Thy troubled children, from Jerusalem. Help them and their neighbors, who are bound together by their common humanity and need of Thee, to turn their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks,[2] Joel 4:10 part and to learn war no more.[3] Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3 | |
As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we thank Thee for this sweet land of liberty which is our home. We thank Thee for its opulent bounties, Thy gift, for its manifold beauties bursting from the earth these lovely spring days, for its inheritance of freedom and its promise of brotherhood. We are grateful for the kinship of spirit which has linked this bastion of democracy in the New World to that beachhead of freedom in the Old World. We are grateful for the aid and understanding here generously given, and for the commitment to the free world there solemnly pledged. Help us to build and strengthen these bridges of mutual aid and shared knowledge, over which all men may walk toward a brighter day. | |
Above all, O Father of us all, we pray for peace; for as Thou art one, Thy children are one. No nation is an island unto itself. None can or need profit at the hurt of another. With Thy bounty and their ingenuity, there is enough for all. Help us, then, to seek out our brethren of every creed, color, and clime, to join with them in lifting the burdens, the chains, from men everywhere, and to make Thy gift of life, liberty, and happiness[4] Cf. the US Declaration of Independence, stylized by Benjamin Franklin and penned by Thomas Jefferson, famously signed 4 July 1776. Scholars differ as to whether the historical origin of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are rooted in Lockean Rights (following after the “Virginia Declaration of Rights” written by George Mason and adopted 12 June 1776) or possibly in Jefferson’s self-proclaimed Epicureanism. –Aharon Varady. the heritage of all. Amen. |
This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fourth month of the second session of the 85th US Congress in the Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 104, part 6 (23 April 1958), page 6991. The prayer was offered in the context of Congressional legislation made in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 104, part 6 (23 April 1958), p. 6991
Notes
| 1 | Psalms 126:6 |
|---|---|
| 2 | Joel 4:10 part |
| 3 | Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3 |
| 4 | Cf. the US Declaration of Independence, stylized by Benjamin Franklin and penned by Thomas Jefferson, famously signed 4 July 1776. Scholars differ as to whether the historical origin of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are rooted in Lockean Rights (following after the “Virginia Declaration of Rights” written by George Mason and adopted 12 June 1776) or possibly in Jefferson’s self-proclaimed Epicureanism. –Aharon Varady. |
“Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein on 23 April 1958” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
Philip S. Bernstein
the Congressional Record of the United States of America
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