Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

This Shabbat, as we do every Shabbat, Jewish congregations around the world will pray for the welfare of the government of their respective countries. The prayer in the congregation where I worship asks God to bless the government of the United States, its leaders and its advisors, so that they may govern wisely and bring happiness, prosperity and justice to the inhabitants of our country. We ask that the United States be a good influence in our world, and that it be an instrument of peace and freedom for all humankind.

Jews have been praying for the welfare of their governments for a very long time. In 597 BCE the King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and exiled a portion of the population to Babylon. Settled in a strange land, disoriented, their lives turned upside down, the exiles wrote to the prophet Jeremiah for guidance on how to proceed. He responded to their missive urging them to build houses, plant gardens, marry and have children in their new land. Above all, he said, “Pray for the welfare of the city where I (i.e. God) have sent you, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”  Jews everywhere have been following this advice ever since.

In 1893, a 33-year-old English professor from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Katherine Lee Bates, inspired by a trip she took across the country by train, wrote a poem she called “Pike’s Peak”.  The poem was set to music and in 1910 it was published as “America the Beautiful”. One of the verses reads like a prayer:

America! America!
God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

This week saw a transition to a new President and a new administration in our country. With the help of God may we work together toward a more perfect union. May we as a country renew our commitment to social order, domestic tranquility and equality under the law. May our country continue to be a force for good throughout our world.