[Avodah] Praying for the Government

[Zev Sero]

> *Click here to download "Visiting and Praying for a Non-Jew?" 

On page 5 of this pamphlet the author writes that the hooligans of 
Berachos 10a who harassed R Meir were not Jewish.  He gives no source 
for this, and I wonder where he gets it.  I have always assumed they 
were Jewish and have never seen anything saying otherwise.  If they 
weren't I would have expected the gemara to say so.

As far as the prayer for the king is concerned, historically the fact is 
that in the Russian empire it was not said except in the large shuls 
where the Czar was likely to know what was happening.  But I understand 
that in the Austro-Hungarian empire it was said everywhere, because the 
Jews actually liked the Kaiser, and vice versa.

The author claims that "The tefillah does not mention a single king but 
rather a kingdom, since this applies even when there is a democracy". 
This is just not the case.  Every single siddur I have seen with Hanosen 
Teshua, except in the USA, uses the sovereign's name.

He cites Tiferes Yisrael as his source, but the Tiferes Yisrael does not 
refer at all to the tefillah that is said, but only to the mishnah that 
recommends the practice.  And he does not mention democracy, even though 
the USA and France existed in his day; what he says is that the mishnah 
includes countries that are ruled by a group of leaders.

In my opinion this nusach is completely inappropriate to the USA, and 
those shuls here who wish to pray for the country or for the government 
should use a different nusach written especially for that country.  I 
have seen such nuscha'os printed in various places, that are not simply 
rewrites of Hanosen Teshua.

-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy 5781
zev at sero.name       "May this year and its curses end
                      May a new year and its blessings begin"