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A Jewish Prayer for the New Unity Government of South Africa
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, delivered the below remarks and prayer last week at an inauguration ceremony ushering in the country’s new government of national unity.
On this momentous occasion, marking the peaceful transition of power from one election to another, ushering in a new era of a government of national unity, allow me to share with you the eternal words that God instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel when they were about to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land more than 3,300 years ago, as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy (30:15-20):
I call on heaven and earth to give testimony today that I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse, and you shall choose life in order that you and your children may live, to love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days, to dwell upon the land that God has promised to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them.
O Lord, bless this bold new endeavor of the government of national unity to follow in your ways:
to “choose life” as they administer state hospitals and medical services to heal our people,
to “choose life” as they administer the security forces to protect our people, a decent, law-abiding, God-fearing nation of heroes,
to “choose blessing” as they administer the schools of the nation to empower our children with the prospects of a life of abundance,
to “choose blessing” as they seek to encourage investment, grow the economy, and create jobs, banishing the devastation of unemployment,
to “choose blessing” as God promised to Abraham in the Book of Genesis (12:3): “I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you, will I curse.”
Inspire all the members of the government of national unity to live by the calling to great leadership described by the Talmud, “I give you not power but service,” and to lead by the highest of ideals that it calls “for the sake of Heaven” — for a higher cause, for the greater good, to create a peaceful and prosperous South Africa.
Lord, guide us all to fulfill our sacred role as Your “partners in creation,” to help one another, and be kind and compassionate; to protect the vulnerable and uplift the poor; to empower every human being to fulfill their God-given potential, prosper and realize their dreams.
O Lord, bless South Africa and all her people, and indeed all of humanity, that we may all merit to see the fulfillment of Your promise of redemption, delivered by the prophet Isaiah (2:3-4), when he said in Your name:
For from Zion, will teaching go forth and the word of God from Jerusalem. And the nations shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and neither will they learn war anymore.” And as it says in the Book of Psalms, (126:1-2), “A song of ascents, when God will return the captives of Zion, we will be like dreamers, then our mouth will be filled with laughter, and our tongue with glad song.
Allow me to conclude with the ancient priestly blessings that were recited every day in the Temple in Jerusalem until it was destroyed, with the Western Wall the only remnant of its once glorious precincts — blessings that have been said in our synagogues ever since, as recorded in Book of Numbers (6:24-26):
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He shine His countenance towards you and be gracious to you. May He turn His countenance towards you and grant you peace.
The author is the Chief Rabbi of South Africa.
The post A Jewish Prayer for the New Unity Government of South Africa first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
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Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says
FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
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Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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