Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi David H. Panitz on 27 April 1960

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55646

open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication, Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication date_src_start: 1960-04-27 date_src_end: 1960-04-27 languages_meta: [{"name":"English","code":"eng","standard":"ISO 639-3"}] scripts_meta: [{"name":"Latin","code":"Latn","standard":"ISO 15924"}]

Date: 2024-04-27

Last Updated: 2025-04-15

Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 86th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 27 April 1960. . . .

Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi David H. Panitz, of Temple Emanuel, Paterson, New Jersey
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 27 April 1960

Contribute a translation Source (English)
Almighty and Eternal God,
we convene again in this august Chamber
with an awareness of Thy presence
and with a firm resolve
to make ourselves instruments
for the fulfillment of Thy will.
We know that our purpose on earth
is only achieved
by obedience to Thy message
and by the acknowledgment of Thy sovereignty
in all spheres of life.
The mantle of leadership
imposes inexorable responsibilities
to deliberate and act
with broad vision,
with a love for all mankind,
and with a sensitive devotion
to the loftiest horizons of American democracy.
We pray for the inner strength
that will enable Thy servants
to quest fearlessly for truth,
to fashion the future with optimism,
and to perform decisive deeds
for the peace of our Nation
and the world.
May we be worthy of Thy continued blessings,
O Master of all creation,
as we manifest the wisdom and courage
to make ourselves and our country
exemplars of righteousness
in the sight of all peoples,
and as we mold ourselves
and these United States
into a potent force
for moral rectitude
in the sight of all the nations.
May we never shirk opportunities
to unite all our citizenry
into a bond of true brotherhood,
nor eschew the prudent occasions and methods
to draw together the hearts of all Thy children
who inhabit this globe.
May we never hesitate
to defend the dignity of man
and the sanctity of life
for all who have been created
in Thine image.
May we learn to share with others
the gifts of the earth
and of human insight
with which we have been abundantly endowed.
May we ever find in service to exalted ideals
the protection of our Nation’s interests
and the achievement of amity
among the sons of men.
By our deeds of uprightness,
compassion,
and faith,
we pray for Thy providential blessing:[1] a/k/a, the Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing). 
May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord cause His countenance to shine upon you
and may He be gracious unto you;
may He lift up His face unto you and grant you peace. (Numbers 6:23–27)
Amen.

This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fourth month of the second session of the 86th US Congress in the Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 106, part 7 (27 April 1960), page 8688.

Source(s)

Congressional Record, vol. 106, part 7 (27 April 1960), p. 8688

 

Notes

Notes
1 a/k/a, the Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing).

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

Featured Image:
Flag_of_the_United_States_Senate.svg
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_Senate.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States Senate