[Prayer] on the Legalization of Beer, by Rabbi Norman M. Goldburg (22 February 1933)

Contributor(s):

Norman Michael Goldburg and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

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21 June 2023 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Social Justice, Peace, and Liberty, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies

Tags:

20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., California State Legislature, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, Prohibition in the United States

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Heavenly Father, Thou hast created this earth as a habitable place and in this wondrous setting Thou hast placed us that we may enjoy life.
	Thou hast given us the earth and all its increase . . . fruit of the trees and the many products of the field, “wine that maketh glad the heart of man.” (Psalms 104:15)
	Thou, Who hast endowed us with intelligence— grant that in all things we may exercise wisdom and discretion— grant that we may not abuse the gifts of Thy beneficence— grant that our joy be not too riotous and our indulgence not too unrestrained.
	May our return to normalcy augur well for the future of our Republic.
	Guide Thou our footsteps in the path of moderation.

“On the Legalization of Beer” by Rabbi Norman Michael Goldburg, was offered before the California state legislature and published in California Legislature 50th Session 1933: Prayers Offered at the Daily Sessions of the Assembly, p. 32. The prayer is undated but appears between prayers dated to the end of January and the beginning of March 1933). 22 February 1933 was the date upon which the 21st amendment to the US Constitution was submitted to California (among other states) in advance of the repeal of the 18th amendment later that year.

Source(s)

Norman Michael Goldburg

Rabbi Norman Michael Goldburg (Feb 22, 1902 - Jun 12, 1993) originally from St. Louis, Missouri, was ordained at HUC and graduated from the University of Cincinnati, afterward doing graduate work at the University of Chicago and Howard Divinity School. He served as rabbi of Temple B'nai Israel in Sacramento, California in the 1930s. There, he was appointed chaplain of the State Legislature during the biennial session of 1933, and led the Sacramento Council for Civic Unity through which he advocated for Japanese Americans’ civil rights. During World War Ⅱ, he served as a chaplain in the US Army. In 1949, he came to Augusta, Georgia where he served as rabbi for the the Walton Way Temple (later Temple Children of Israel) until 1968. Rabbi Goldburg also served as president of Augusta Library and taught philosophy at Augusta College. He held honorary degrees from HUC and Augusta (Georgia) College of Law. Besides his collection of prayers written during his tenure as chaplain in Sacramento, he also wrote the novel, Patrick J. McGilllcuddy and the Rabbi (1969).

Aharon N. Varady (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.)

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happy days are beer again

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "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)

[Prayer] on the Legalization of Beer, by Rabbi Norman M. Goldburg (22 February 1933)

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