Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Bernard Bergman on 26 May 1942
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=55919
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2024-05-18
Last Updated: 2025-02-02
Categories: 🇺🇸 United States of America, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., 77th Congress, English vernacular prayer, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, U.S. House of Representatives, World War Ⅱ, תחינות teḥinot
Excerpt: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 26 May 1942. . . .
Content:
Guest Chaplain: Rabbi Bernard Bergman, Home of the Sons and Daughters of Israel, New York City, New York
Sponsor: Rep. Arthur Klein (D-NY)
Date of Prayer: 26 May 1942
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Source (English) |
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Almighty God, Father of the Universe!
We beseech Thee,
bless our Chief Executive
and prosper the enterprises
of the august Members of this assembly,
the chosen representatives
of the great American people,
gathered here in solemn deliberation
in this supreme moment
of their Nation’s need.
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Merciful God,
grant them light and guidance
in this perilous hour of humanity’s agony.
Grant them wisdom and foresight
to navigate the ship of state
amidst the sundry obstructions and obstacles
besetting our course,
and guard them against
those who seek to paralyze the arms
of the brave defenders of our liberties
who are now engaged in Thy forces,
even as they are waging humanity’s struggle
on the battlefields of many continents
and distant lands.
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We beseech Thee, O Lord,
look down from Thy throne of mercy
upon Thy children of this liberty-loving Nation.
Bless our brave effort
and send glorious victory to our banners.
Grant us, O Lord, Thy blessing,
so that “the earth shall be filled again
with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
Amen.
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This prayer of the guest chaplain was offered in the fifth month of the second session of the 77th US Congress in the House of Representatives, and published in the Congressional Record, vol. 88, part 4 (26 May 1942), page 4576.
Source(s)
Congressional Record, vol. 88, part 4 (26 May 1942), p. 4576
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Bernard Bergman
Bio: Rabbi Bernard Bergman (September 2, 1911 – June 16, 1984), born in Romania, was an Orthodox rabbi and businessman in the United States. In the 1920s, after his family emigrated to Brooklyn. Bergman went to Mandatory Palestine, where he attended the Hebron Yeshiva in order to pursue his religious studies. He received his semikhah from Moshe Mordechai Epstein in 1933. Back in New York City, he took a position as a rabbi at the Home of the Sons and Daughters of Israel, a nursing home on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He also served as editor and publisher of the Yiddish-language daily The Jewish Morning Journal and served as the head of Hapoel HaMizrachi. As a businessman, Bergman turned an inheritance of $25,000 into an empire of nursing homes valued at $24 million. Rabbi Bergman is best known for his operation of this network of nursing homes and his conviction for Medicaid fraud in 1976.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Bergman
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/bernard-bergman
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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
