Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Jacob Agus on 20 July 1953
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=56960
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2024-06-19
Last Updated: 2025-03-07
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 83rd Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 20 July 1953. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Jacob Agus, Baltimore, Maryland
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 20 July 1953
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Source (English) |
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O Master of the Universe,
in humility and love,
we pray for Thy help and guidance,
that our Nation might be blessed
by our deliberations
and that we might be blessed
in serving as faithful custodians
of its great heritage
and its noble vision.
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It is for peace we pray,
the true substance of peace
founded on understanding and tolerance,
enabling ever greater numbers of men
to move from the somber shadows of fear
to the sunlight of freedom and dignity.
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Vast is the power of our Nation,
the power for destruction
as well as for construction;
may we never use it but as Thy trustees,
in humility,
in justice,
and in the love of all men.
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Menacing are the manifold dangers
on the horizon today;
may we face them steadily,
yielding neither to fear
nor to pride.
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Many are the crosscurrents
that would confound our course;
may we see the goals of our Nation straight and true—
the building of good and freemen,
not the pyramiding of power;
the fostering of dignity and happiness,
not the vain search for triumph and glory;
the building of a great and dedicated society,
not the tinsel symbols of blind arrogance.
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Upon us the eyes
of a hundred and fifty million
of our countrymen are turned;
may we serve thine image, O God, within them,
not the “idols of the marketplace,”
which glitter momentarily in the false glare of popular favor.
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May Thy light and Thy strength ever be
with the President of the United States,
with the Members of this Assembly,
and all who labor for the good of our Nation.
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the seventh month of the first session of the 83rd US Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 99 part 7 (20 July 1953), page 23321.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 99, part 7 (20 July 1953), p. 9177
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Jacob Agus
Bio: Rabbi Jacob Bernard Agus (November 8, 1911 – September 26, 1986), born in Poland, was a Conservative movement rabbi, theologian, and author in the United States. He played a key role in the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Agus
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/jacob-agus
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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
