Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Hershel Lutch on 21 June 2017

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=20041

open_content_license: Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works)

Date: 2018-04-29

Last Updated: 2025-02-02

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

Tags: 115th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., 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 21 June2017. . . .


Content:

Rabbi Hershel Lutch, MEOR Foundation, Baltimore, MD
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Emmer, (R-MN)
Date of Prayer: 06/21/2017

Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my friend, Rabbi Hershel Lutch, and to thank him for reading the opening prayer here on the House floor today.

Rabbi Lutch has devoted his life to working for the Jewish community in the United States and around the globe.

I met Rabbi Lutch on a trip to Israel that he and his organization, Aish HaTorah, helped to coordinate. That special trip showed me firsthand how our ally in Israel fights to survive and thrive every day.

In addition to his work for Aish HaTorah, Rabbi Lutch is the CEO of the MEOR Foundation, an organization that strives to inspire Jewish students on college campuses to learn more about their history and heritage.

In his personal life, Rabbi Lutch is a husband and a father and a son. He is an asset to his community and our country, and I am pleased we could hear from him on the floor today.

Thank you, Rabbi, for blessing us here today and for your continued dedication to the Jewish people and to people of all faiths. It is an honor to know you.


Contribute a translation Source (English)

Almighty God,
we pray this day
for wisdom,
humility,
courage,
and Your beneficence.

We pray that You endow the distinguished Members of this House
with the wisdom to develop legislation
that advances the noble aims of our Nation
and the honorable needs of her citizens.

Lord,
we pray that You grant us humility
to know that we are Your subjects
and it is Your children for whom we toil.

We pray for steadfast courage
to champion justice with fortitude
and to battle tyranny with vigor.

O Lord,
we pray this day
that Your blessings of safety, success, and serenity
rest on each Member, staff, and security officer of this House,
and we pray
that we might make continued room for Your presence
in our hearts
and in the soul of our great Nation.

Gracious God,
we thank You today and every day
for the profound gift that these United States represent in our lives.
Both for those here at home
and for people around the world,
America stands as a beacon of hope and leadership
in times of challenge and conflict.

May God bless this House of Representatives
and may God bless the United States of America.
Amen.

Source(s)

115th Congress, 1st Session. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 163, No. 106 — Daily Edition (June 21, 2017)

Link: https://chaplain.house.gov/chaplaincy/display_gc.html?id=2559

Loading

Contributor: the Congressional Record of the United States of America

Co-authors:

Featured Image:
Flag_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svg
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States House of Representatives