Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Dr. Gary P. Zola on 26 May 2005
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=28015
open_content_license: Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works) Date: 2019-11-08
Last Updated: 2024-06-01
Categories: Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies, United States of America
Tags: 109th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 26 May 2005. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Gary Zola, Jacob Rader Marcus Center, Cincinnati, OH
Sponsor:
Date of Prayer: 2005-05-26
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Eternal One,
Rock of all ages,
help us to hear
the voices of our forebears
that still linger in the silent places
of this historic Chamber of debate and decision.
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Let us draw devotional inspiration
this morning
from the life of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise,
founder of the Hebrew Union College,
who led this Senate in prayer
135 years ago to this very week.
May one brief moment
from the life of this famed American clergyman
renew in us a commitment
to the core of righteous living.
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For we have been taught that once,
when this rabbi took ill amidst a class
and was compelled to descend from his teaching platform,
a young, eager student jumped up,
grabbed his arm,
and said: “May I help you down, Doctor?”
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In response to this question,
the rabbi uttered words
that remind us anew
of what is good
and what God does require of us all:
“Never help a person down,”
the rabbi told his student.
“Try always to help people up.”
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In this year,
marking 350 years of Jewish life in America,
we offer up
our prayerful and reverential gratitude
to the Source of Life
for implanting within our hearts
the vision of our noble Republic,
ever striving to help people up.
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O may all who labor in this House–
and in every house–
be inspired anew
by the prophet Micah’s exhortation,
a charge that the father of this Nation
deeply cherished
and repeatedly cited:
“Do justly,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with thy God.”
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Fervently we pray
that the vision we hallow
will animate all of us to live
“with malice toward none,
with charity for all . . .
[so we can] finish the work we are in.”
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אָמֵן׃
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Amen.
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Source(s)
109th Congress, 1st Session. Congressional Record, Issue: Vol. 151, No. 72 — Daily Edition (May 26, 2005)
Contributor: the Congressional Record of the United States of America
Co-authors:
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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: Gary P. Zola
Bio: Gary Phillip Zola is the Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati. Since 1998, he has served as the second Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA), succeeding his teacher and mentor, Jacob Rader Marcus (1896–1995). He is also editor of The Marcus Center’s award-winning semi-annual publication, The American Jewish Archives Journal. Zola served as the organizer and chair of the congressionally-recognized Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History, a consortium of leading research institutions established to promote the study of American Jewish history during the 350th anniversary Jewish life in America (2004–2005). In 2006, Zola became the first American Jewish historian to receive appointment to the Academic Advisory Council of the congressionally-recognized Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. In addition to these national activities, Zola has been actively involved in community relations in Cincinnati, Ohio. In May 2009, the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission conferred the Bishop Herbert Thompson, Jr. Outstanding Humanitarian Award on Zola in recognition of his service to the people of the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati recognized Zola’s service to Cincinnati’s Jewish community in 2004 by awarding him its Distinguished Leadership Award. In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Zola to serve as a member of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. Although HUC-JIR presidents have received such distinctions over the years, Zola is the first regular member of the College-Institute’s faculty to serve on a standing commission of the United States Government in the history of the school.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_P._Zola
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/gary-phillip-zola
Featured Image:
Title: Flag_of_the_United_States_Senate.svg
Caption: Flag of the United States Senate
