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What is everyone’s thoughts on prayers for the government or royal families?
Very important. They give stability to the government, and a measure of security to us.
?????????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ?????????????? ???????? ??? ?????? ???? ???????????? ??????? ????? ???????.
– ?????? ??,?
??? ????? ??? ?????? ????, ??? ????? ?????? ?? ?????, ?????? ?????, ??? ?? ???? ???? ????.
– ???? ???? ?,?
In a constitutional monarchy there is no problem. The prayer for the monarch is a prayer for the country. The monarch serve to represent the country.
In a republic, it is a bit trickier. The legal role played by the monarch (theoretically) in a place such as Britain, in America is played by the entire citizenry of the country (which includes us as well as we are citizens). The executive and legislature are mere servants to the people (analagous, using British legal theory, to the role of the parliament and ministers who in Britain are servants of the crown).
Many synagogues have a prayer for the government patterned after one used in Europe, and I suspect written by immigrants who hadn’t yet figured out that in American it is the people who rule the country, and the politicians are just employees hired to serve the people.
Even if it is technically, the people who run the country, I doubt everyone has access to top secret security information (only email hackers maybe) and things such as nuclear codes etc, as well as power to spend tax money and to negotiate deals with other countries.
Even you in the USA have to daven that the leaders have the seichel to run the country properly, and deal favourably with the Jewish People.
In the United States, we hire the leaders. We select them. They are our servants. To pray for the welfare of the president and the congress would be analagous to praying for the welfare of your cleaning lady or your driver or your lawn service. It would be similar to Donald Trump praying for the welfare of his employees. This is probably why many American shuls feel uncomfortable with a “prayer for the government”. It is downright “unAmerican.”
Akuperma, if one wants a clean house, transportation or lawn care and cannot do it oneself then yes, pray for their welfare – and for them to do good jobs. In a republic or constitutional monarchy, Yirmiahu’s dictum still applies as the prayer is for country in general. If Rav Kook’s ruling (Mishpat Cohen 144) that any leadership the people accept has the din of melech also applies to mixed countries then so would that of Rabbi Chanina Segan haCohanim. In any case, one can daven to vote for the right people and not be disappointed. In the final analysis, democratic countries are representative democracies not direct democracies.
Disagree, akuperma.
What Avi K said still stands (Thank you Avi K). “Shloma shel malchus” is still of great benefit to us.
There is surely nothing wrong with putting in a good word for one’s employees when davening, first out of hakaras hatov, as we benefit from their service, and selfishly, as a request that we should be matzliach in getting the service we are paying for.
And I can’t speak for anyone else, but when I daven I’m not concerned with sounding unamerican. As long as I don’t sound unjewish, I think I’m okay.
We should pray for the government because without it there will be anarchy and many Jews will be killed. Just look at Crown Height in 1991 and the NYPD was out there.
The Mishna in Pirkei Avos requires us to pray for the welfare for the government, as if it were not for fear of the gov’t, one man would swallow another alive.
I think there’s still room for a tefilla for the government, as a government, in the US. We need government to keep order, like Chazal said ????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ????, and the common people don’t have that power. That why they elect officials and we have government offices to do those jobs. But I hear akuperma’s point that a tefilla for the president as an individual is un-American. Definitely whoever adapted the European tefilla for America used un-American language. “?????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????”? Would anyone refer to the POTUS that way?
I’ve seen siddurim with a tefilla for the American government that included President Franklin Roosevelt in the tefila, by name.
Our shul doesn’t mention mention names or even offices, simply praying for the welfare of the United States of America (and that they treat us well).
The Wolf
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