Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Sidney S. Guthman on 22 April 1982
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55547
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2024-04-21
Last Updated: 2025-03-24
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 97th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. Senate, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 21 April 1983. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Sidney S. Guthman, D.D., Congregation Sholom, Leisure World, Seal Beach, California
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 22 April 1982
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Source (English) |
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O God,
source of all hope and faith,
we thank You
for the hope and faith
which these our national legislators
have inspired in their respective communities.
We thank You
for the competence and conscientiousness
which these men and women manifest
in the performance of their public duty.
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May they never forget
that the words of the pledge of allegiance
are to be more than lipservice.
“Liberty and justice for all” must mean just that.
“Liberty and justice for all”
town and city,
poor and rich,
old and young–
of every race and background.
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May the day come speedily
when equal rights for all
will signify more than a cliché.
For if our Nation is to remain true to its essential character
then the Levitical command engraved on our Nation’s Liberty Bell
should become a reality in our lives!
“Proclaim liberty throughout the land
unto all the inhabitants thereof.” (Leviticus 25:10)
Then, blessed by You, O God,
shall we be a blessing to each other,
and a shining example for all mankind to emulate.
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fourth month of the second session of the 97th US Congress in the Senate, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 128, part 6 (22 April 1982), page 7421.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 128, part 6 (22 April 1982), p. 7421
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Sidney S. Guthman
Bio: Rabbi Sidney S, Guthman (1911-2009) from Chicago, was a Conservative movement rabbi in the United States. He was a graduate of Lewis Institute of Technology and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1938. Rabbi Guthman walked in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington, D.C., in 1963, and accompanied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. In 1971, JTS awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree. As a rabbi he held pulpits in New England and San Antonio, Texas (Agudas Achim), Lakewood, California (Shir Chadash), Seal Beach (Temple Shalom), and as Chaplain of the VA Medical Center in Long Beach, California. Rabbi Guthman was the past President of the Western States Region of the Rabbinical Assembly and a former Grand Chaplain of the Masonic Grand Lodge. He was chairman of the Community Advisory Commission in Long Beach and past president of the Western States Region of the Rabbinical Assembly. With Robert Segal, he co-edited the prayerbook, Sabbath Eve Services and Hymns (1944).
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/sidney-guthman
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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
