Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh's blog
Posted in Noach on Oct 19th, 2012
In Parashat Noach, humanity undergoes two great catastrophes. The first is the flood – the holocaust that annihilates all of humanity and all land-life except those who survive in Noach’s ark. The second catastrophe is the dispersal of humanity to all ends of the earth as a result of the collapse of the Tower of [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on May 16th, 2011
There are three ways to deal with enemies: surrender, fight, or make peace by neutralizing the root of their animosity.
The Ba’al Shem Tov told it as a story. Once a king called one of his officers and sent him on a secret mission, saying: I desire to test the loyalty of my subjects. Dress yourself as a king and go from state to state throughout my dominion; try your hardest to persuade and win over the people to rebel against me and accept you as king.
Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 17th, 2011
The two great exiles of the Jewish People in our days: Edom (אדום, 51) and Ishmael (ישמעאל, 451) equal 502 = “Cursed be Haman” (ארור המן) = “Blessed be Mordechai” (ברוך מרדכי). The joyous wine of Purim takes us to a place where we are unable to distinguish between “Cursed be Haman” and “Blessed be [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 16th, 2011
The sages say: A wise man learns from a hint. A fool learns only from a fist (i.e., a punch in his face). Indeed, there are some ‘accomplished’ fools who don’t learn even from repeated “fists.” Many of them are politicians. In Aramaic (Hebrew’s sister-tongue and the language in which the saying was expressed), “hint” [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 15th, 2011
In the Torah there are many applications to the “law of similars.” One of them is that in order to kill a snake you must be like a snake. In gematria, Mashiach (משיח, 358) equals snake (נחש). As extreme opposites they are in fact similar, numerically identical. In Kabbalah, a number is defined as the [...]
Posted in Tweets from the year 5771 on Feb 28th, 2011
Rectifying the State of Israel in 10 steps: Step 1: Faith in the Torah (the Bible as interpreted by the Sages) as the Word of God. Step 2: Commitment to live our private and communal lives in accordance with the precepts of the Torah. Step 3: Proclaim the Torah as the foundation of international law. [...]
Posted in Tweets from the year 5771 on Feb 24th, 2011
A Chassidic saying: When an orphan eats everyone sees, but when he cries no one sees. God, have mercy on an orphaned generation! No generation is ever totally orphaned; there are always teachers of God’s way. Mashiach will come in a generation that appears orphaned. The sages said that the generation of Rabbi Elazar ben [...]
Posted in Tweets from the year 5771 on Feb 24th, 2011
There’s a new movement in America (95 million) called “generation we.” Sounds good. In Hebrew, generation we = “Let there be” times “love.” Good and peace for all will come when Judaism, in its pristine essence, soul and body as one, is recognized as the universal way of life. Always be kind and considerate of [...]
Posted in Tweets from the year 5771 on Feb 24th, 2011
There are the strong and the weak. There are the good and the bad. Not always are the strong the bad. If it so happens that the strong are the good and the weak are the bad, don’t weaken the strong by equating to them the weak. How can I judge who is good and [...]
Posted in Tweets from the year 5771 on Feb 24th, 2011
The miracle in Chile: 33 men and 69 days. 33 plus 69 = 102, faith. 33 times 69 = 11 times 207, 11 lights, a light for each of the 11 sefirot Mining is a dangerous occupation. Every soul on earth is a miner, mining for the treasures God has hidden in nature. The greatest [...]