Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on 18 July 2016
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=20385
open_content_license: Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works) Date: 2018-06-23
Last Updated: 2025-02-18
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 114th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, interfaith tolerance, pluralism, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 18 July 2016. . . .
Content: Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, Retired Chaplain, U.S. Navy, Washington, DC
Date of Prayer: 07/18/2016
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Source (English) |
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Let us pray:
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O Lord who said “Let there be light,”
we have reason still to fear the dark,
the dark of senseless death,
of murder, terror, fear, and strife,
testing faith in a future warm and bright.
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This day, 18 July,
almost 250 years ago,
the Gazette in Boston published a patriotic hymn,
“The Liberty Song”:
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Join hand in hand,
brave Americans all;
By uniting, we stand;
by dividing, we fall.
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I was in a Beirut foxhole,
1983,
religious war,
but U.S. foxholes were unique:
interfaith.
Side by side,
some sought You
through different religious faith traditions;
others––not religious––
found faith and common cause in freedom’s call,
in freedom’s holy light.
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Help us, we pray,
learn the truth I learned that day
that if more foxholes,
if more people made room for others’ faiths,
we would need far fewer foxholes
and have more cause for faith.
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So give us strength to pray:
Join hand in hand,
brave Americans all.
By uniting, we stand;
by dividing, we fall.
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אָמֵן׃
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Amen.
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Source(s)
114th Congress, 2nd Session. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 162, No. 116 — Daily Edition (July 18, 2016)
Link: https://chaplain.house.gov/chaplaincy/display_gc.html?id=2426
Contributor: the Congressional Record of the United States of America
Co-authors:
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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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Name: Arnold E. Resnicoff
Bio: Arnold E. Resnicoff (born 1946) is a Conservative rabbi who began his career serving as a military officer and then as a military chaplain. He served in Vietnam and Europe before attending rabbinical school after which he was a U.S. Navy Chaplain for almost 25 years. After the Vietnam War, he promoted the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and delivered the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. Rabbi Resnicoff was present at the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and the following year, President Ronald Reagan shared Rabbi Resnicoff's eyewitness account. After retiring from the military he became the National Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and served as Special Assistant (for Values and Vision) to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, serving at the equivalent military rank of Brigadier General. Resnicoff holds several degrees, including an honorary doctorate. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the Chapel of Four Chaplains Hall of Heroes Gold Medallion.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Resnicoff
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/arnold-resnicoff
Featured Image:
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States House of Representatives
