[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17069]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     WELCOMING RABBI PETER E. HYMAN

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Sestak) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SESTAK. Madam Speaker, I want to talk about Rabbi Hyman who just 
gave the opening prayer.
  There is a midrash, one of the many parables, that embellish upon the 
Torah. In this particular midrash, there is a man from the land of 
Israel, a businessman, who was in another country, and when he was 
there, he was accused of being a spy. He was then told by the judge 
that he would be executed. He asked for 30 days to go back to the land 
of Israel and while there finish up his business and come back. The 
judge initially laughed, but he turned to him and said, ``My friend 
will sit in a jail for me, and if I'm not back, he will be executed.''
  The judge had to see this, and so the man went into jail. And the 
gentleman went back to the land of Israel and he finished his business. 
And he would have made it back in time, except there was a storm at 
sea.
  And when he finally arrived there, the man, his friend, was about to 
be hung, executed. And he yelled out as he came closer, ``It is I who 
am to be executed, not him.'' But his friend said, ``No, you're too 
late; it is to be me.''
  They caused such confusion and commotion that the two men were 
brought before the king who had to see this, and after listening to 
their stories, he said, ``I will forgive you and pardon you on one 
condition, that I become your third friend.''
  There is nothing like a friend in life. You helped me at a hard time, 
at the beginning of my political career, Rabbi, but more than that, 
Temple Shalom in my district radiated that peace, that friendship, that 
loyalty to everyone, that interracial, ecumenical clergy association 
you headed, not just Anti-Defamation League, but anti-violence summit 
that you held.
  Shalom. Thank you for being the friend you are, not just to me, but a 
dealer of hope to many in my district.

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