Rabbi Motty Berger, Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Jerusalem, House, December 5, 1995

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Rabbi Motty Berger, Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Jerusalem, House, December 5, 1995, prayer

Rabbi transcript: In a sorely troubled world, filled with all too much hatred, violence, and human misery, we pray to You, dear God, for divine guidance; such guidance is needed for all of us, in and out of government, as we work toward a better day for all mankind. We pray to You, our Father, who taught us to love our neighbors and to seek peace, to imbue us with both the wisdom and the will to apply Your teachings in relations between nations as well as between individuals. Let us reflect on the enormous power available to mankind, power which we may use for good or evil, to build or to destroy. It is ours to choose: life or death. May we be inspired by the prophetic message, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts," [[Zechariah 4:6]] and thereby choose life. Amen.

Rep. Deutsch remarks:

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Rabbi Motty Berger who gave the opening prayer of today's session of the House of Representatives. I was fortunate enough to meet Rabbi Berger several years ago at the College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem where my wife and I enrolled in one of his courses on Jewish philosophy. During a time of tremendous transition in the Jewish community, I found Rabbi Berger to be an extremely perceptive speaker on topics surrounding the heritage of the Jewish people. He talked passionately about his desire to promote the continuity of Jewish traditions and values. Rabbi Berger was born and raised in the United States and after graduating high school attended Ner Israel Rabbinical School in Baltimore. After completing his rabbinical studies, he went on to teach Jewish philosophy in Jerusalem and became extremely active with the Aish HaTorah organization. This yeshiva has dedicated itself to creating a warm environment that promotes Jewish unity. With that said, it is a tremendous honor to welcome Rabbi Motty Berger.