Dear God, Source of wisdom:
As we prepare for the work of democracy, help us to recall that our chosen form of government is not in itself a cure for all that ails the human spirit, but rather a structure resting on a base of values.
We look around the world, and see countries that proclaim themselves democratic, but are in fact indifferent to the majority of their citizens. Their democracy is hypocrisy, because their values are anti-humane.
We see other countries, struggling to reach democracy, and careful to write into their constitutions that their states will in effect remain theocracies. That would leave only second-class status for the large majority of the senators assembled in this chamber, were we citizens of those countries. Let us acknowledge the wisdom of our own Virginian ancestor, Thomas Jefferson, whose 1786 statue of religious freedom gave us, in all our religious diversity, the standing to participate fully in our democracy.
Most recently, we have seen voters in Gaza go to the polls and democratically elect a terrorist organization to be their parliamentary representation. The people were proud to display ink-stained thumbs as a proof of their democratic breakthrough, but they voted for the party of blood-stained hands. What was their ultimate accomplishment?
Yes, LORD, democracy rests upon a base of values. Let us do the work of our democracy while attending to the values that underly it. In the Bible, You have told us, "love your neighbor as yourself", and also, "justice, justice shall you pursue"; you have commanded us "know the heart of the disenfranchised", and enjoined that "the executive shall not grow haughty, but remain within the law". Mindful of your commandments, let us recommit to values of love and justice, of caring and responsibility, so that the values that generate our votes will in fact make our exercise of democracy good. In the words of the Psalmist, o God, "establish Thou the work of our hands." Amen.
Dr. Michael Panitz,
Rabbi, Temple Israel of Norfolk
March 2, 2006