A Jewish Prayer for the New Unity Government of South Africa

South Africa’s Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, delivered the below remarks and prayer last week at an inauguration ceremony ushering in the country’s new government of national unity.

On this momentous occasion, marking the peaceful transition of power from one election to another, ushering in a new era of a government of national unity, allow me to share with you the eternal words that God instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel when they were about to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land more than 3,300 years ago, as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy (30:15-20):

I call on heaven and earth to give testimony today that I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse, and you shall choose life in order that you and your children may live, to love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days, to dwell upon the land that God has promised to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them.

O Lord, bless this bold new endeavor of the government of national unity to follow in your ways:

to “choose life” as they administer state hospitals and medical services to heal our people,

to “choose life” as they administer the security forces to protect our people, a decent, law-abiding, God-fearing nation of heroes,

to “choose blessing” as they administer the schools of the nation to empower our children with the prospects of a life of abundance,

to “choose blessing” as they seek to encourage investment, grow the economy, and create jobs, banishing the devastation of unemployment,

to “choose blessing” as God promised to Abraham in the Book of Genesis (12:3): “I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you, will I curse.”

Inspire all the members of the government of national unity to live by the calling to great leadership described by the Talmud, “I give you not power but service,” and to lead by the highest of ideals that it calls “for the sake of Heaven” — for a higher cause, for the greater good, to create a peaceful and prosperous South Africa.

Lord, guide us all to fulfill our sacred role  as Your “partners in creation,” to help one another, and be kind and compassionate; to protect the vulnerable and uplift the poor; to empower every human being to fulfill their God-given potential, prosper and realize their dreams.

O Lord, bless South Africa and all her people, and indeed all of humanity, that we may all merit to see the fulfillment of Your promise of redemption, delivered by the prophet Isaiah (2:3-4), when he said in Your name:

For from Zion, will teaching go forth and the word of God from Jerusalem. And the nations shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and neither will they learn war anymore.” And as it says in the Book of Psalms, (126:1-2), “A song of ascents, when God will return the captives of Zion, we will be like dreamers, then our mouth will be filled with laughter, and our tongue with glad song.

Allow me to conclude with the ancient priestly blessings that were recited every day in the Temple in Jerusalem until it was destroyed, with the Western Wall the only remnant of its once glorious precincts — blessings that have been said in our synagogues ever since, as recorded in Book of Numbers (6:24-26):

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He shine His countenance towards you and be gracious to you. May He turn His countenance towards you and grant you peace.

The author is the Chief Rabbi of South Africa.