Rabbi Milton Balkany, Bais Yaakov School, Brooklyn, NY, Senate, Nov. 7, 1991, prayer

"When Rabbis Bless Congress: The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers on Capitol Hill"

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Rabbi Milton Balkany, Bais Yaakov School, Brooklyn, NY, Senate, Nov. 7, 1991, prayer

Rabbi transcript: Let us pray: Almighty G-d, the august assemblage of our esteemed Senators stand before You in prayer . We recognize that prayer brings to us resources from another world--the world of spirituality and holiness. We need Your help and blessings to enable us to cope with the problems, temptations, and difficulties of our duties. Invoking Your mercy and might is our most efficacious means of guaranteeing peace and security for the harassed and helpless people of the Earth. We are thankful for this blessed country of the United States of America, the land of plenty and freedom. We need Your divine guidance to bring peace, civility, and harmony within our communities. We seek oneness, not sameness. To make all people the same would debase our quality, but oneness would raise it. Inspire us to seek the noble and supreme ideal. We can win the world by example. We recognize the great opportunities in the changing world. When G-dless and ruthless regimes crumble, we must exhibit our allegiance and dedication to the principals of our democracy. The clarity of our vision and the intensity of our idealism mean that for us, at least, the American dream is projected on a wide screen in technicolor. When the roots of optimism, faith, and enthusiasm sink deeply into the soil of our labors, we shall harvest the glorious fruits of successful achievement. We worship You, O G-d, in gratitude and beseech You in humility. Amen.