Bidspirit auction | An Exceptionally Rare Historical Item:

An Exceptionally Rare Historical Item: 'A Prayer for the Welfare of the State' Composed by the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch in the Midst of the Holocaust - Prayer for the Welfare of the State, composed by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch (the Rebbe Rayatz), to be recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur following the Torah reading in all synagogues throughout the United States of America. New York, 5703 [1942/1943]. Presented here is one of the rarest, most moving, and historically significant publications issued by Chabad-Lubavitch during the darkest years of the Second World War. Only a few years after his miraculous rescue from Nazi Europe and arrival on American shores, the Rebbe Rayatz composed a special prayer for the peace and prosperity of the United States. The prayer was printed and distributed in advance of Rosh Hashanah 5703, at the height of the war, when the fate of European Jewry remained uncertain and millions of Jews were still trapped beneath Nazi rule. In deeply emotional language, the Rebbe prays for the welfare of the nation that had received refugees and provided a haven for the surviving remnant of Israel. He also prays for the success of the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who at that time was leading the struggle against the forces of evil. The prayer includes the following remarkable passage: “Be with our exalted and distinguished President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt... Bless their efforts to save this country and the lands adjoining it from war and destruction... and in their days and in ours, may the war come to an end.” Behind these lines lies a dramatic chapter in the history of Chabad-Lubavitch. Only a few years earlier, the Rebbe Rayatz himself had been rescued from war-torn Europe through a daring and complex rescue operation involving diplomatic efforts at the highest levels of the American government and the German military. This was therefore far more than an official prayer for the welfare of the state; it was the heartfelt supplication of a leader who had personally experienced the horrors of war and the miracle of salvation. Printed ephemera of this nature have survived only in very small numbers. As a result, this prayer is considered one of the rarest and most desirable documents from the Rebbe Rayatz’s years in the United States. Folded broadside. Hebrew and English on facing pages. Printed on an elegant gold-colored sheet. Very good condition. Exceptionally rare.