What is the Proper Blessing at a Political Convention?
| We all remember the famous line from Fiddler on the Roof when the rabbi is asked what is the proper blessing for the czar, and he replies, “May God keep the czar… far away from us.” We are privileged to live in a democracy where we Jews need not fear civil authorities, but where we play an active role in the democratic process. I hope that all of us will vote in the upcoming election. Over the years I have been honored to offer invocations at swearing-in and inauguration ceremonies of Republican and Democratic administrations, as we well as the US Senate, House of Representatives, Maryland State Legislature, County Council meetings and other public gatherings. Here is the invocation I was honored to offer for the meeting of the Maryland State Democratic Party at the Democratic National Convention via zoom yesterday. Invocation at Maryland State Democratic Party Meeting at the 2020 Democratic National Convention August 19, 2020 We turn to You, the Creator of all. You are the Divine Spirit implanted within each of us, and the force which is transcendent and beyond all of us. It is to You we turn in these uncertain, unparalleled, unprecedented times. You are infinite, yet we are finite, for as the Psalmist wrote: “A thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it has passed.” So we turn to You, in prayer, to the power beyond us – to find the strength within us to help us deal with the unfathomable, to grant us the wisdom to help us to comprehend the incomprehensible, to provide the moorings and grounding we so desperately need when our ship’s anchor has been uprooted and we are adrift, without direction. In these trying times – Let us not succumb to fear Let us not be overcome by division, divisiveness and dissent Let not bigotry, hatred, intolerance or prejudice dominate and define who we are. For the Almighty calls upon us To heal the sick and uphold the fallen; To share our bounty and the blessings bestowed upon us with others; to rise above pettiness, and to treat all of God’s creatures with kindness, respect, dignity and compassion. Your word and Your teachings recorded in sacred scriptures provide us with a compass and light the path before us. The Bible implores us to care for the widow, the stranger and the orphan in our midst, for they are the vulnerable and less fortunate among us. May we have leaders whose vision is consistent with Your message, who will unite us. Leaders who have the courage to admit when they are wrong, who will work with all, who will inspire us and who will bring out the best in each of us so that the promise of America will be fulfilled and become a reality. May we have and may we choose leaders who value the dignity of all and who are guided by the noble values and ideals articulated by the prophets of old. As the prophet Micah said: “What is it that God asks of you? Only to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.” Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt Congregation B’nai Tzedek Potomac, MD |
