[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 29179]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  Rabbi Joel Tessler, Temple Beth Shalom, Potomac, Maryland, offered 
the following prayer:
  In the Bible, the Prophet Billim is hired to curse the Jewish people, 
the chosen people of God. Try as he might, God would not place in him 
the spirit of condemnation and curse, but enveloped him in true 
understanding with purity and love.
  Billim uttered these famous words which were said as a person enters 
the synagogue: ``How goodly are your homes of Jacob, your institutions 
of Israel?''
  Why do we praise our homes when we enter the synagogue? The Lord 
taught Billim that our institutions are only as strong as our homes.
  If the American family is under siege, is it any wonder that our 
schools are becoming battle zones for children and teachers?
  Money alone cannot substitute for the foundation and grounding that 
parents, grandparents, and families provide. Every discussion in these 
halls must be judged with an eye on how goodly are our homes, the homes 
we help our citizens create.
  Our institutions, whether schools or houses of worship, are only as 
strong as the families which make up this great land.
  Today is the anniversary of Kristel Nacht, the night of the broken 
glass, when darkness descended upon Nazi Germany and thousands of 
synagogues were set on fire.
  Our institutions and the future of our society depends on the 
families we help support. Amen.

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