Rabbi Seth Frisch
New Shul of America
Rydal, PA
Sponsor: Rep. David Cicilline, (D-RI)
Date of Prayer: 02/05/2020
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome Rabbi Seth
Frisch, who delivered today's opening prayer to the people's House.
Since his ordination in 1986, at the Jewish Theological Seminary of
America in New York, Rabbi Frisch has been a source of comfort and
counsel to Jews around the world. In his current posting as rabbi and teacher of the New Shul of Philadelphia, Rabbi Frisch helps serve as a guide for those who want to learn more about what it means to be Jewish in a safe and supporting setting.
In a way, today's opening prayer was a homecoming for Rabbi Frisch, who previously served as a legislative assistant to the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
I pray that we will all heed his words today, that out of many, we
are one Nation. Let us strive to put our divisions behind us and
realize our dream of a country indivisible with liberty and justice for
all.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Almighty, I stand before You in prayer and in memory as I am reminded of Solomon, King of ancient Israel, who would preside over a most
unusual judicial hearing, one in which two mothers would lay claim to the life of one child, a child they each would insist to be their own.
This parable allows us to see Solomon's wisdom as preserving the nation, as we are sadly reminded, so soon after his death, that the kingdom is split asunder.
I, too, am reminded of Abraham Lincoln, when he spoke with prophetic–like prescience: "A house divided cannot stand," which was soon to become a war of brother against brother. From this we would soon learn that our future lies not in enmity, but in unity.
For, Lord, the Book of Leviticus, from Your Torah, teaches us in words inscribed upon the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all of the inhabitants thereof," thus uniting one of our Nation's ideals, "e pluribus unum," out of the many, one.
Lord God, the Founders of this Nation understood our strength to be in the celebration of our differences while assiduously working to put our divisions behind us.
And so it is, Dear God, that we pray You remain with us. Continue to guide all of us in realizing the dream of this great country, to be a Nation indivisible, a Nation seeking liberty, and above all, a Nation providing liberty and justice to all. Amen
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory