Almighty God:
We ask Thy blessings
upon the distinguished
Members of this Senate
of the United States of America.
Give them insight
to understand the concerns and problems
of all the people of this blessed land;
bless them with wisdom
to enact laws that will benefit
all its inhabitants,
and imbue them with courage
to make difficult decisions
for the public good.

For more than a century,
millions of immigrants,
my father’s family amongst them,^[1] The family of Moshe Aharon Poleyeff (1888 – 1966) a rabbi and Rosh Yeshivah at Yeshiva University in New York for over 45 years, a teacher of many prominent Orthodox rabbis. 
came to these shores seeking freedom
from tyranny and oppression.

To this very day
our beloved country still serves
as a beacon of light
to those to whom freedom
is but an elusive ideal.

To this very day
our country still stands
as a shining example
of individual liberty
and limitless opportunity.

More than two centuries ago,
our Founding Fathers created a nation
in which every individual
had the right to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.^[2] 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 Members of this Senate
have the awesome responsibility
of seeing that those goals
remain the hallmark
of our Nation.

We beseech Thee, O Lord,
imbue them with wisdom,
understanding,
and knowledge
to hold aloft the banner of freedom
and the torch of liberty,
so that all the inhabitants of this country
shall be privileged
to live,
work,
and worship their God
as they choose
and without fear.

May our country be the leader among nations
in ushering in an era of universal peace and harmony
so that the words of the prophet may be fulfilled in our time,
when “they shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
nor shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
May this by Thy will.
Amen.