Prayer for the Government
The prayer for the government
is a biblical prayer, and is read during
the Saturday morning service on Shabbat.
The concept of praying for the wellbeing
of the government was started in 586 B.C.E.
by the prophet Jeremiah after the first expulsion from Jerusalem.
Seeing as the Jewish people could not govern
themselves, they implored God to
guide their foreign rulers. David Abudarham
first introduced this prayer into the modern siddurim (prayer
book) in the 14th century. Jews have adopted
different prayers for the
governments of the countries in which
they live. The prayer is read aloud after
the Torah reading, but before the Torah is
placed back into the ark. This blessing asks
God to guard the proceedings of the government
and the nation’s
leaders.
Sources: Eisenberg, Ronald L. The
JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions. PA: Jewish Publication Society,
2004; "Praying
the Welfare of the State of Israel" |