Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi David Philipson on 2 February 1904
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=24415
open_content_license: Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works) Date: 2019-04-02
Last Updated: 2025-02-18
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., 58th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 2 February 1904, the first prayer of a rabbinic guest chaplain recorded in the Congressional Record . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi David Philipson, Cincinnati, Ohio
Date of Prayer: 2 February 1904
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Almighty God,
Father of us all,
in the presence
of the manifestations
of Thy supreme greatness
we humbly bow the head and exclaim,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts;
full is the whole earth of His glory.” ׁ(Isaiah 6:3)
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We thank Thee
for every noble thought
that has been thought,
for every unselfish deed
that has been performed,
for every inspiring word
that has been spoken among men.
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We thank Thee above all
for this dear fatherland of ours,
the promised land of these latter days,
the new Canaan,
where modern prophets have preached
truths no less inspiring than those spoken
by Thy chosen messengers of old,
where ideals have been set
that point to the era of universal brotherhood and peace,
the hope of all the great spirits of the race.
To these ideals may we all remain true.
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May those who guide the helm of our ship of state
be constantly mindful
of the high mission of this American people
among the nations of the earth
to stand as the exemplar of justice,
the protector of the weak,
the foe of all unrighteousness,
the scorner of all wrongdoing,
the lover of peace.
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So imbue all with these ideals
that our dear land may stand to the very end
as the refuge of all those oppressed elsewhere,
the sanctuary of liberty,
the haven of peace.
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May Thy blessing rest upon this place,
this holy place of the liberties of our people.
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May Thy blessings rest upon the President,
his counselors and advisers:
upon all those intrusted
with the guardianship of our rights and liberties.
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May peace and good will obtain
among all the inhabitants of our land.
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May religion spread blessings among us
and exalt our people in righteousness,
that from one end of this great land to the other
may sound the glorious refrain,
“Praised be the Lord God
from everlasting to everlasting.”
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Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the second month of the second session of the 58th US Congress in the Senate and was published in the Congressional Record, vol. 38, part 2 (1904), pp. 1497-1498. According to our research, this was the first prayer of a rabbinic guest chaplain recorded in the Congressional Record. (The prayer offered on 12 January 1904 by Rabbi Joseph Silverman of Temple Emanu-El (New York) was not recorded in the Congressional Record.)
Source(s)
Congressional Record vol 38 part 2 (1904) p. 1497
Congressional Record vol 38 part 2 (1904) p. 1498
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: David Philipson
Bio: David Philipson (August 9, 1862 – June 29, 1949) was an American Reform rabbi, orator, and author. The son of German-Jewish immigrants, he was a member of the first graduating class of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. As an adult, he was one of the leaders of American Reform Judaism and a philanthropic leader in his adopted hometown of Cincinnati. As rabbi at the largest Reform congregation in the center of Reform Jewish life, Philipson had tremendous influence both within Cincinnati and in the whole country. He was very active in the Central Conference of American Rabbis and United American Hebrew Council throughout his life. He co-wrote the Union Prayer Book, the central prayer book for Reform Judaism, and presided over the first few of its re-publishings. He was a member of the translation committee for the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 Bible translation into English. In the early 20th Century, Philipson was most famous for his anti-Zionist beliefs. Believing that "...no man can be a member of two Nationalities", Philipson used his power to counter what he saw as the exclusionary and zealous acts of Zionists. He used HUC's journal of Reform Judaism, The American Israelite, to further his view that Judaism was a religion exclusively, and thus stateless. Shortly after the First Zionist Congress in Basel, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations held its first convention. With Philipson at their head, they issued a statement in 1897 stating that "America is our Zion." (via his article in Wikipedia)
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Philipson
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/david-philipson
Featured Image:
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_Senate.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States Senate
