Inauguration Day Benediction for President John F. Kennedy by Rabbi Dr. Nelson Glueck (1961)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=11282

Date: 2015-01-21

Last Updated: 2025-02-18

Categories: 🇺🇸 Inauguration Day (January 20th), Coronations & Inaugurations

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., democratic process, English vernacular prayer, United States

Excerpt: This benediction for President John F. Kennedy by Rabbi Dr. Nelson Glueck, was recorded in the United States’ Congressional Record on January 20, 1961. . . .

Content:

Hebrew	English
	We turn to Thee, O God, in deepest gratitude on this exalting day of reaffirmation of our Nation’s ideals and unity, and of personal avowal of sacred obligation by our President, in Thy name.
	Mayest Thou, O God, to whom alone belong the dominion and the power, be his stay and support in the fulfillment of his awesome trust, to insure the unfettered implementation of the spirit and letter of our Constitution for all the inhabitants of our land, to provide them in law and in fact equal opportunities of learning and labor and well-being, to safeguard the physical and moral integrity of our beloved Commonwealth, founded on faith in Thee.
	O Thou, who art the source of all life, quicken his heart always with the awareness of Thy presence, and especially in the lonely moments of fateful decisions which may be his to make for us and our world.
	Guard and guide him in Thy loving kindness, that through his leadership hunger may be stilled, hurts healed, hope sustained, the weak and the worn assisted, human dignity and decency up-held, the blight of war and the specter of annihilation banished, and peace in freedom prevail among all Thy children everywhere, with none to make them afraid.
	In profound humility, O God, we pray that Thy blessing may rest upon our President and all associated with him in our Government, which we the people have set in authority, upon everyone and everything dear and precious to him and us, as we repeat the ever new words of the ancient prayer in sacred writ:
יברכך יי וישמרך:	May the Lord bless thee and keep thee.
יאר יי פניו אליך ויחנך:	May the Lord cause His countenance to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee,
ישא יי פניו אליך וישם לך שלום:	May the Lord lift up His countenance unto thee and grant thee peace.[1] Numbers 6:23–27

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This benediction for President John F. Kennedy by Rabbi Dr. Nelson Glueck, was recorded in the United States’ Congressional Record on January 20, 1961.

Source

Inauguration Day Benediction for President John F. Kennedy by Rabbi Dr. Nelson Glueck (1961)

Notes

Notes

1	Numbers 6:23–27

Contributor: Nelson Glueck

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Nelson Glueck
  Bio: Nelson Glueck (4 June 1900 – 12 February 1971) was an American rabbi, academic and archaeologist. He served as president of Hebrew Union College from 1947 until his death, and his pioneering work in biblical archaeology resulted in the discovery of 1,500 ancient sites. In the 1950s, Glueck discovered remains of the advanced Nabataean civilization in Jordan. Using irrigation, the Nabataeans were able to grow crops and develop a densely populated civilization in the Negev desert, despite receiving under 6 inches (15 cm) of rainfall a year. Glueck worked with Israeli leaders to build an irrigation system modeled on that of the Nabataeans. He was the author of several books on archaeology, religion, and the intersection of the two. They include Explorations in Eastern Palestine (4 vol., 1934–51), The Other Side of the Jordan (1940), The River Jordan (1946), Rivers in the Desert: A History of the Negev (1959), Deities and Dolphins (1965), and Hesed in the Bible (1968). (from wikipedia)
  Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Glueck
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/nelson-glueck
• 
  Name: the Congressional Record of the United States of America
  Bio: 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)
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Record
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/united-states-congressional-record

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