Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arthur Schneier on 3 June 1959
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=57020
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication date_src_start: 1959-06-03 date_src_end: 1959-06-03 languages_meta: [{"name":"English","code":"eng","standard":"ISO 639-3"}] scripts_meta: [{"name":"Latin","code":"Latn","standard":"ISO 15924"}] Date: 2024-06-20
Last Updated: 2025-04-11
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. House of Representatives, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 3 June 1959. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Congregation B’nai Jacob, Brooklyn, New York
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 3 June 1959
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Source (English) |
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Almighty God,
you have endowed us with the power to speak,
to utter syllables and to frame them
into intelligible means of communication.
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The medium of our daily deliberations is the spoken word.
All of us know its power;
words heal grief and open wounds,
they lift us up and crush us,
they bolster our confidence
and they rob us of our dignity,
used thoughtfully they enhance our regard for one another,
used maliciously they splinter reputations.
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And yet the chaos of the Tower of Babel
has reappeared in our time,
the value of the spoken word has depreciated,
its sanctity and clarity has vanished.
For too often our words do not reflect
the sincere sentiments of our heart
and have become meaningless,
subject to misunderstanding
and misinterpretation.
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Make us realize, O Lord,
that words uttered in this Chamber
are carefully watched by the entire world;
once spoken they are no longer controlled by the speaker.
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Let us restore to words
the value which they have lost.
Let us resolve to weigh
and not to count our words
and to adorn them with the sacred garb
of appropriate deeds.
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May the words of our mouth
and the meditation of our heart
be acceptable unto Thee, O Lord,
our Rock and our Redeemer.
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the sixth month of the first session of the 86th US Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 105 part 7 (3 June 1959), page 9696.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 105, part 7 (3 June 1959), p. 9696
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Arthur Schneier
Bio: Rabbi Arthur Schneier (born March 20, 1930) is an Austrian-American rabbi and human rights activist. Rabbi Schneier has served for over 50 years as the Senior Rabbi of New York City’s Park East Synagogue. While being honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton in 2001, Rabbi Schneier was described as “a Holocaust survivor who has devoted a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance and set an inspiring example of spiritual leadership by encouraging interfaith dialog and intercultural understanding, as well as promoting the cause of religious freedom around the world.”
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schneier
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/arthur-schneier
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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_House_of_Representatives.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States House of Representatives
