Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Harold P. Smith on 4 December 1963

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Date: 2022-09-12

Last Updated: 2025-02-02

Categories: Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 88th Congress, assassination, Assassination of John F. Kennedy, English vernacular prayer, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Prayers for leaders, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 4 December 1963. . . .

Content:

Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Harold P. Smith, Congregation Agudath Achim of South Shore, Chicago, Illinois
Date of Prayer: 4 December 1963

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Almighty Father, emerging as we now do from the darkened valley of irretrievable loss, and rising, as we now do, from the throes of crushing adversity, we come to Thee for Thy divine blessings and guidance; for the restoration of spirit which can come only from Thy divine light.
	Immersed though we be in somber thoughtfulness, we nevertheless see ample reason for gratitude and consolation in the demonstrated capacity of our great and glorious Republic to carry on, in our saddest and darkest hours, with strength and determination, with peacefulness and orderliness, with respectful relegation of party differences— all characteristic only of free world democracies.
	We continue to pray, as we always shall, for the soul of our fallen leader, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. We pray also, from the very depths of our being, for the welfare of our newly risen leader, Lyndon B. Johnson. Bless him, we pray Thee, with long life, good health, and Thy divinely replenished resources, that he might continue, as he has started, with honor, vigor, and courage, to meet the weighty burdens and overwhelming responsibilities which have so suddenly been thrust upon him.
	We ask, also, Thy benign blessings upon the Speaker of the House and upon all our esteemed legislators whose awesome responsibilities in these epochal times of unpredictable events call upon them to make decisions which affect the permanent destiny not only of their own countrymen, but of all mankind.
	May they honor the deep trust we have placed in them by finding, this day, new vistas of insight which Thou alone canst supply; that they might shed a new and alleviating light upon the crucial issues which oft divide us one from another in these critical times when unity and good will are so vitally needed for survival.
	Help us, O Lord, help us; that we in these blessed United States of America, shall indeed be united States, and that all of us shall approach and solve our problems with love and understanding, in a united state. Amen.

Source(s)

88th Congress, 1st Session. Issue: Vol. 109, part 18, p. 23271 — Daily Edition (December 4, 1963)

Congressional Record, 88th Congress, 1st Session, vol. 109, part 18, p. 23271 (4 December 1963)

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

Name: Harold P. Smith
Bio: Rabbi Harold P. Smith (1913-2011) of Chicago, was a former vice president of Hebrew Theological College. Ordained as a rabbi in 1940, he went on to serve as the Midwest Regional Director of Religious Zionists of America. At Hebrew Theological College for three decades, he created the Practical Rabbinical Program. Rabbi Smith served as president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and as national vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America. He was active in Jewish Federation and served on its Public Affairs Committee; was involved with the Rabbinical Advisory Committee of Combined Jewish Appeal; and was awarded "Clergyman of the Year" by the Chicago Tribune, for which he often wrote columns about Judaism and Israel. Rabbi Smith authored A Treasure Hunt in Jerusalem, a children's book about Judaism.
Website: https://www.juf.org/news/local.aspx?id=413349
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/harold-p-smith

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

Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Bio: 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.)
Website: https://aharon.varady.net
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription

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