Prayer, Prayer on the Wall.......

One of my "academic" interests revolves around the First Amendment's religion clauses. I will tell you that I approach these clauses a bit differently as a pulpit rabbi than as I did as an attorney or professor, and from time to time I will blog here on some developments in the field and my feelings about them. I read Melissa Rogers' blog and 'Religion Clause' by Professor Howard Friedman religiously (pun intended) for their excellent coverage of newsworthy items impacting freedom of religion and establishment clause cases and news.

So in that vein, something struck me last week in synagogue as we were reading "A Prayer for Our Country." It goes as follows:

"Our God and God of our ancestors: we ask your blessings for our country, for its government, for its leaders and advisors, and for all who exercise just and rightful authority. Teach them the insights of Your Torah, that they may administer all affairs of state fairly, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, justice and freedom may once again abide in our midst."

Does anybody have a problem with that prayer?

I do. What bothers me is the line "teach them the insights of Your Torah". The insights of the Torah! We want our leaders to observe the Torah? We want them to govern this country based on Torah law? I thought we had a separation of church and state. Is this what we really want? And any particular insight?

I know, let's teach President Obama an insight from this week's Torah portion. You know, the one about observing Shabbat as a day of rest. Good idea, says the President and Congress. Let's make Saturday a day of rest. Everyone must rest. No business may remain open. No government services.

What do you think? Or maybe there would be greater support if we make that day Sunday. Thanks Torah! What a great idea!

Need I go on? Should we perhaps force everyone to keep kosher? Or perhaps this would be a great starting point, great impetus to learn the insights from the New Testament or the Koran or the Bhagavad Gita, or the Vedas, or from Zen Buddhism?

The prayer that I found which is used in Catholic Churches ends with the line "and the restoring of all things in Christ."

My point? If we are offended by that last line, if we want to maintain the US as religiously neutral, maybe we should be careful what we say in our prayers as well!

As they say, be careful what you wish for. It may come true.

Shabbat Shalom!