Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Milton Balkany on 7 November 1991
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=52094
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2023-07-22
Last Updated: 2025-02-02
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 102nd Congress, 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 7 November 1991. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Milton Balkany, dean, Bais Yaakov School of Brooklyn, 1362 49th Street, Brooklyn, New York
Date of Prayer: 7 November 1991
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Almighty God,
the august assemblage of our esteemed Senators
stand before You in prayer.
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We recognize that prayer brings to us
resources from another world—
the world of spirituality and holiness.
We need Your help and blessings
to enable us to cope with the problems,
temptations, and difficulties
of our duties.
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Invoking Your mercy and might
is our most efficacious means
of guaranteeing peace and security
for the harassed and helpless people
of the Earth.
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We are thankful for this blessed country
of the United States of America,
the land of plenty and freedom.
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We need Your divine guidance
to bring peace, civility, and harmony
within our communities.
We seek oneness, not sameness.
To make all people the same
would debase our quality,
but oneness would raise it.
Inspire us to seek the noble and supreme ideal.
We can win the world by example.
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We recognize the great opportunities
in the changing world.
When Godless and ruthless regimes crumble,
we must exhibit our allegiance and dedication
to the principals of our democracy.
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The clarity of our vision
and the intensity of our idealism
mean that for us, at least,
the American dream is projected on a wide screen
in technicolor.
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When the roots of optimism,
faith, and enthusiasm
sink deeply into the soil of our labors,
we shall harvest the glorious fruits
of successful achievement.
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We worship You, O God,
in gratitude
and beseech You
in humility.
Amen.
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Source(s)
102nd Congress, 1st Session. C-SPAN.
Congressional Record, Vol. 137, Part 21 — Bound Edition, p. 30720.
Congressional Record v. 137, part 21 – 7 November 1991. p. 30720
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Milton Balkany
Bio: Milton Yehoshua Balkany (born 1946) is an American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, past director of the Jewish girls′ school Bais Yaakov of Midwood, conservative political activist and fundraiser from Brooklyn, New York, dubbed "the Brooklyn Bundler." In September 1960, Balkany founded Bais Yaakov of Brooklyn, now Bais Yaakov of Midwood, a strictly orthodox girls′ school in Borough Park, and served as its dean. A conservative Republican, he has been active in political fundraising since the early 1980s, mainly for Republican politicians, and has also often acted as a lobbyist for various Jewish causes. Dubbed "the Brooklyn Bundler," he had a reputation as someone who had access not only to elected officials but to several government agencies as well. For several years, he gave the invocation at an annual dinner honoring President Ronald Reagan, and was offered to become the rabbi chaplain of the Senate, an offer he declined. In 1994, Balkany tried to have David Luchins, an Orthodox Jew, official of the Orthodox Union, self-described liberal, and then aide to Senator Daniel Moynihan excommunicated by a Jewish religious court, blaming him for having "caused yeshivas in the land of Israel to lose money." He became widely known for giving public religious benedictions (brakhot) to senior politicians at city council, state legislature, and Congress, where he served as guest chaplain in June 2003, opening the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives with the prayer "I stand here today among the jewels of our nation, men and women who are precious, who radiate dedication, and they have been selected as the leaders of our land." He is the son-in-law of Aaron Rubashkin.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Balkany
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/milton-balkany
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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: 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
Featured Image:
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_Senate.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States Senate
