Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Solomon H. Metz on 6 June 1945
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=57058
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2024-06-23
Last Updated: 2025-02-02
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 79th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, World War Ⅱ, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 6 June 1945. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Solomon H. Metz, Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, D.C.
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 6 June 1945
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Source (English) |
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Our God and God of our fathers,
Thine is the power and the glory and the victory,
Thou art the rock of our lives
and the shield of our salvation
through every generation.
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May the light of Thy presence
enlighten the eyes of the nations
to see in the revelations of Thy Book
the highway to lasting peace.
We are humbly aware
of our momentous responsibilities
in this crucial hour of history.
In the scales of our decisions
there trembles the fate of the future.
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In the welter of many voices,
O save man’s mind from confusion
and his spirit from the corrosive blight of cynicism.
Let not the gusts of passion extinguish the prophetic vision
nor the designs of those of little faith
degrade the sacrifices of our noblest and bravest
into vain oblations.
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Let the perspective of towering justice
and the lodestar of universal brotherhood
guide us as we set out to build
the world of tomorrow
upon the ghastly ruins of today,
wrought by national selfishness,
greed,
and pride.
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O Soul of our souls,
may we be among the blessed who,
unmindful of the jeers of the ungodly
and the gibes of the uninspired,
steadfastly march under the banner of Thy kingdom
of truth and love.
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As in the days of old,
may the pillar of Thy wisdom
lead Thy people out of the wilderness of fear and strife
into the land of promise and fulfillment;
for with Thee is the fountain of life.
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In Thy light may we see the light
for the sanctification of Thy name
and the redemption of Thy children.
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the sixth month of the first session of the 79th US Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 91 part 4 (6 June 1945), page 5593.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 91, part 4 (6 June 1945), p. 5593
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Solomon H. Metz
Bio: Rabbi Solomon H. Metz (1891-1959) born in Kulen, Lithuania was a Conservative movement rabbi in the United States. After emigrating to the United States, he graduated from City College of New York in 1916 after which he entered the Jewish Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1918. Rabbi Metz was installed as rabbi of Washington Heights Synagogue in New York in 1930, and subsequently served as the leader of Adas Israel Congregation
in Washington DC from 1930-1951.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/solomon-metz
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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
