God Bless America
This Saturday, in honor of the Fourth of July, our Rabbi gave his sermon about the history of the prayer for our government – where and when it started and the various forms it has taken over the centuries. He gave a handout of various versions of the prayer that have appeared in American Orthodox prayer books. The prayer that is currently in the Orthodox prayer book is fairly inappropriate for contemporary use. It was written by Jews in the Ottoman Empire shortly after their expulsion from Spain and has a tone of servile fear of the government with a hidden subtext of actually wishing for the government’s fall! He encouraged us to borrow from the various prayers in the handout to create a prayer that would be appropriate for Jews living today in America. This is what ball-and-chain and I came up with and emailed to our Rabbi as a suggestion for insertion in our Saturday services.

If any of you have a prayer for our country that is recited weekly in your Church or Synagogue, we’d love it if you left it in the comments.

Have a very happy Fourth.

Our Father in Heaven, Your hand guided the establishment of the government of the United States of America. Small were its beginnings, but in the abundance of your blessings it has grown great. It shines forth onto the world and all the peoples with the luster of its laws of right and justice. The house of Israel has found within this country peace and a secure shelter in which to abide.

God, continue to bless this country and all of its inhabitants. Bless the President, and all the leaders of these United States. Protect and guard over her soldiers in every corner of the globe where they may be – in the air, on the sea and on land. Bless them with triumph and return them speedily to their homes in peace and in health.

Amen. - served up by Doctor Bean @ 6:22 AM