It is a long standing tradition to pray for the government of the country the Jews live in. At first it seems strange, to pray for a leadership that is not the one of the jewish community itself, but a foreign government in whose state we live in. If we search for the prayers origin, we have to go back way further than we would expect, even before we had any standardized prayers or even a land to live in. We can trace this practice back to the times of the Tanach, to Bereshit 47,7 where Yaakov offers the Pharaoh a blessing. Today it is customary in most countries to say a prayer for the state after the Torah reading on Shabbat.
Similarly the Jews of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union were praying for peace and the wellbeing of their government based on the Prayer “הנותן תשועה”. Under a prayer for Tsar Nikolai Aleksandrovich and his family a comment again draws parallels to the Jews of the time of the Babylonian exile. It states that the Jews prayed for the welfare of Nevukatnezar and similarly the Jews of the Russian Empire are required to pray for the Tsar and his family, regardless of ongoing persecution. The same Prayer later got adapted in the Soviet Union, leaving out the introduction of praising haShem, it rather indirectly references haShem as the way out of hardship without mentioning or acknowledging him directly. In this very short prayer it then asks for the success of the government, notably also for the success over its enemies. It also leaves out the plea for the return to the Land of Israel, which would have been contrary to the soviet value. This prayer symbolically reflects the secularisation and disconnection of religious values in the Soviet Union, while ironically praying for its success rooted in the Jewish values.
In the DACH-countries (Germany, Austria & Switzerland) the version found in the Siddurim is called “Gebet für das Vaterland”, found in the Roddelheimer Siddur “שפת אמת”. It starts with the acknowledgement of haShem as ruler over everything and following that, pleads for haShems blessing for the government of the country. It then concentrates mainly on pleading for healing, economic success and unity of the country. The plea for unity and peace in the country resembles the motivation and mindset of the lyrics of the national anthem of Germany. It then transitions to pray for international peace and the coming of the Moshiach and the return to the land of Israel. Even though still found in the Siddur “שפת אמת” and included in the Nussach of Germany, the prayer is rarely recited. The controversy started in the early 1930s when the NS-regime got into power. All over Germany and Austria communities started to debate whether to still include the prayer or not. Some communities opted for a change of wording or change of prayer in total while others continued to use it in its original form. The recitation finally was stopped after the “Reichsprogromnacht” in 1938, and since then never resumed. Since the memory of the Shoah is still present in a lot of communities and trust in the German state took a hard hit, most communities to this day avoid the recitation of the prayer for the state.
In 1948 the Ashkenazi chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Herzog, was tasked to compose a prayer for the newly found state of Israel for a state ceremony. The adaptation of the “הנותן תשועה” prayer was highly controversial, due to Israel being the country founded in the very Land they prayed to return to and the jewish people not being under a foreign authority, so using the same prayer seemed inappropriate. Rabbi Herzog composed the prayer, using Tanachic, Mishnaic and Tamludic language and references, giving the prayer an ancient feel and highlighting the deep connection of the jewish people to the land. Instead of initial praise, like in “הנותן תשועה”, the prayer calls out to haShem as father in heaven and redeemer of Israel, reminiscing of formulations used in Tehillim. Followed by the plea to bless and safeguard the country as well as giving guidance to its leadership. Rabbi Herzog again uses lyrical language, referencing Tehillim, calling haShems protection “wings of lovingkindness”. The following plea for the return of the jewish people is written as a plea for “our brothers” to return, again implicating the jews living in the state of Israel, having already returned to the land of Israel. The prayer then pleads for unity and religious revival of the jewish people, which in rabbinical literature is often connected to the prosperity of a jewish state. The prayer then ends with a call for the Moshiach, similar to the other prayers for the state.
Nowadays the prayer for the state of Germany remains controversial, due to the history of the state of Germany as well as using wording that doesn’t fit the modern German and Jewish mindset. Most German communities follow the current trend of saying the prayer for the state of Israel instead and expressing their Zionistic belief. From a halachic perspective, on the other hand, it still remains controversial to leave out the prayer for the state the community is located in. As a young and proud jewish person that wants to connect to the present while remembering and honoring the past generations, I believe we need a new discourse about a prayer for the state we live in, adapting to modern times.
Article by Elisheva Dar Breuning.This article was first published in the 5th printed EDA-editon and posted online August 30th 2026.