Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Hersh M. Ginsberg on 21 May 1964
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55834
open_content_license: Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works) date_src_start: 1964-05-21 date_src_end: 1964-05-21 languages_meta: [{"name":"English","code":"eng","standard":"ISO 639-3"}] scripts_meta: [{"name":"Latin","code":"Latn","standard":"ISO 15924"}] Date: 2024-05-11
Last Updated: 2025-04-25
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 88th 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 21 May 1964. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Hersh M. Ginsberg, dean, Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, New York, New York
Sponsor: n/a
Date of Prayer: 21 May 1964
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Source (English) |
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ה׳
מלך העולם
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Hashem | Lord
Melekh ha-Olom! King of the Universe!
Bless this House of Representatives
of the United States of America,
which has been hallowed
as a sanctuary of freedom,
and wherein is preserved
the liberty
and human dignity
of all Americans.
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The men and women gathered here
have toiled laboriously
to guard against any encroachment
on the inalienable rights
which Thou hast granted unto man.
We are mindful that
only through Thy grace
have their labors borne fruit
and has our blessed country
fostered hope for the oppressed,
given confidence to the downtrodden,
and inspired the feeblehearted.
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We are humbled
by the ominous tasks that still lie ahead;
for we can never remain tranquil
so long as freedom is denied
to any human being
created in Thy image;
so long as man is judged and governed
by his fellow man
not by the nobility of his spirit
and the grandeur of his heart,
but by the color of his skin,
by the political doctrines to which he subscribes,
or by the religion to which he is committed.
Indeed, our aspirations of making the American dream
of universal freedom for all men a reality
will continue to command our collective attention
in the months and years that lie ahead.
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Grant, we pray Thee, O merciful Father,
to the dedicated men and women gathered here,
unto whom has been entrusted the sacred task
of governing our Nation,
that they may continue to be deserving
of Thy sustaining blessings.
Shower upon them and their loved ones
of Thy divine bounty,
teach them to face the trying days ahead
firmly and courageously,
fill them with Thy holy spirit,
make them meek and humble,
cognizant of the needs of the poor of body
and impoverished of spirit,
and inspire them to remain steadfast
in their yearning to sanctify Thy holy name.
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fifth month of the second session of the 88th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 110, part 9 (21 May 1964), page 11615.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 110, part 9 (21 May 1964), p. 11615
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Hersh M. Ginsberg
Bio: Rabbi Hersh M. (Tsvi Meir) Ginsberg (1928-2016), born in Vienna, was a Ḥaredi Orthodox rabbi in the United States. He served as director of Agudas Harabonim (the Union of Orthodox Rabbis) and of the United Jewish Council (a social service organization). He also served as rabbi of Beit Ḥasidim and principal of the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. While director of Agudos Harabonim he was instrumental in alienating non-Orthodox Jews. In 1997 he declared, "We call upon all Jews to discontinue to pray any time in a Conservative or Reform temple and instead pray in an Orthodox synagogue."
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/hersh-ginsberg
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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
