Book condoning murder has another rabbi in hot water
Head of yeshiva in West Bank settlement of Yitzhar detained by police over book permitting murder of non-Jews who threaten Israel.
By Chaim Levinson Tags: Israel settlersThe police's Unit of International Crime Investigations on Thursday detained rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, the president of the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar in connection to a book that condoned the killing of non-Jews.
|
Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg |
| Photo by: Eyal Warshavsky |
Ginsburg was detained for questioning days after the alleged author of the book, rabbi Yitzhak Shapira was arrested for inciting to violence. Shapira is also a rabbi at the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva.
The book, named "The King's Torah," deems the killing of non-Jews who threaten Israel as legal. "It is permissible to kill the Righteous among Nations even if they are not responsible for the threatening situation," the book says, adding: "If we kill a Gentile who has sinned or has violated one of the seven commandments - because we care about the commandments - there is nothing wrong with the murder."
Ginsburg, who recommended the book to his students, is a follower of Chabad. He has faced prosecution in the past for incitement to racism after having published a book insisting that there is no place for Arabs in the state of Israel. The charges were dropped after Ginsburg issued a clarification letter.
Ginsburg is a well known radical in his views on Israel's Arab public. The police declined to comment on the ongoing investigation against him.
The Od Yosef Chai yeshiva issued a letter on Thursday condemning the police, saying that in any other enlightened country it would be inconceivable to question such an admirable man as rabbi Ginsburg.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Unbelievable! An enlightened society does not promote hate and discrimination nor do they consider women subserviant. More and more the extremists rabbi's sound like arab extremists, living in the past and ignoring the fact we live in the 21st century. Any enlightened society would not call this man admirable but rather a breeder of hate. He is a disgrace to all Jews and should be stripped of all rabinical ties. What an embarrassment to the free world. This thinking is no different from oppressed arab states. Given their way, the government would be religious based just lke Iran and so many others. Maybe Israel is to beome another mideast state stuck in time thousands of years ago. Finall, to use God's name to incite violence is he ultimate sin. This is not a holy man, just a selfish man who only cares about his own beliefs and.not what is best for all manknd
Being that the overwhelming majority of Jews in Israel know that the enemies of the Jewish State want genocide not peace, and being that the government is embarking on a path to appease the murderers, the only recourse is for the government is to behave like fascists.
And if this had been a book promoting killing Jews for crticising the failed settlement experiment?
Sometimes I can't believe what I'm reading. Has everyone slipped a gear ? Gone round the bend ? IS EVERYBODY OUT THERE NUTS??
Well acording to you, zionist -anti israel-jewish-anti-semite. the IDF is also a terrorist organization that kills people they should die!!! (chas vishalom) Anyway, what Rabbi Ginsburg says is pure torah - no compromising...
There will always be idiots even among so-called rabbis. These men are incapable of understanding Torah. They are not a light unto the world but cast a dark shadow over all they come in contact with.
The guy was arrested for incitement. He does not have the support of the vast majority of Jewish Israeli's. So the sarcasm I've read here against Israel is unfounded. After the Pizza Cafe bombing, according to the Palestinians own polling 73% of the Arabs thought it was a legitimate form of "resistance"...the Arab euphemism for murder and terrorism...yet you pretend this radical Rabbi is representative of mainstream(thought) of the Israeli population,it isn't. In fact this Rabbi has about a 5%-7% support. Compare that to the 73% of Arab support for incitement and committing actual murder, and silliness of your bigoted and false position becomes laughable. Just another example of how the Pal supporters have lie to gain sympathy for their fabricated positions.
murders murders murders murders..............................................................................................................................................................
Have you read this book? Or zou just belive in anything you see on TV/website?
and any condoning all what is written about non muslims must be put in jail and arrested now.
This is one sick society, at best. What happened to the 10 commandments... thou shall not kill. God did not say thou shall not kill Jews only. God said: Thou Shall Not Kill. I guess these Rabbis are going against God as most right-wing religious zelots do. Israel start listening to God and not your religious fanatics who claim to speak for God. If you did listen to God, you would not be in this mess you are in today. You will end up destroying yourselves following these deraged men.
'in any other enlightened country it would be inconceivable to question such an admirable man as rabbi Ginsburg.' In any enlightened country, it would be inconceivable that a figure such as Ginsburg would be considered admirable.
In some other countries there is a little thing called "freedom of speech." As a life-long defender of free speech, I do sometimes question the very low limit placed on it in the U.S. I don't think "Shouting fire in a crowded theater" quite covers it. Case in point, the assassination of
Case in point: the assassination of Rabin. But how do we judge the level? Are these two Yeshiva rabbis in the West Bank - a volatile place - guilty of incitement?
Haven't we heard something like this before? The US declaring it has the right to kill anyone any place in the world who threatens the US? What kind of a morality is this?
Dear Israeli secular government. You are NOT fighting this rabbi. You are fighting against the Holy Torah and its laws. You have, therefore, declared a war on the G-d of Israel. And anyone who fought the Jewish people and the G-d of Israel eventually lost and dissapeared from the face of the earth.
This so-called Rabbi, "deems the killing of non-Jews who threaten Israel as legal -- even if they are not responsible for the threatening situation." This despicable Rabbi likely thinks it should be illegal to kill Jews who threaten Israel. Why? Because he himself is a dire threat to Israel. He is a disgrace. A charlatan. He brings shame on us all, and so is himself a threat to Israel.
This man knows how to hate but doesn't know how to love. He has brothers in all the Islamic extremist groups and amongst all those who believe it is ok to murder people who are different than them.
Those teachings are written expressis verbis in Talmud, why arrest him? Why not trumpet the truth worldwide instead?
Simply you started by palestinians and you will end by the Americans!!!!!!!!!!
Simply you started by palestinians and you will end by the Americans!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting! You seem to object to them being released. Is that because under laws of Islam there is no such thing as free speech? And what if a Sheikhor Imam wrote, or said, that it is alright to kill non-Muslims who violate Shariah? Would he be arrested at all? If so, would you object to his being released?
What do you do when you are immersed from childhood in pre-medieval law which distinguishes between killing a Jew and killing a Gentile? While killing anybody is forbidden by Halakha, the murderer is punished by execution if he killed a Jew, but is only "punished by God" if he killed a Noahide (e.g., a Muslim). Today you have rabbinic opinions that allow killing of Arabs, even innocents, that endanger Jewish control of the Land. They simply compare the importance of the various commandments and come to such conclusions. Rabin's assassination was also sanctioned by some according to Jewish law of "mosser". The Halakha was not updated much, certainly did not have a chance to evolve naturally under conditions of Jewish control over Gentiles. Since changes in it are extremely slow, it is best to override it, as was done in laws concerning financial issues, according to the ruling of "Dina d'malchuta dina", "the law of the land is valid." But I wonder how long it will take to also change the moral/ethical influence that goes with the outdated Halakha.
The problem is not with Jewish religious law - the problem is with religious extremists. religious extremists of every faith can justify just about anything by misinterpretation and misrepresentation - all in the name of their vision of God. At least he was arrested and his views exposed for being rubbish - wish that was true for other religions. Bottom line, there is no room in Judaism for beliefs like these - none.
That even if such a thing is true, it is only spoken by the most extremist, yet still used by none. Your pathetic argument to try and compare Jews to the violent Islamic world is crushed and destroyed, not by me, but by reality.
for being able to carry from private to public space on shabbos, and if they can't reach consensus on who is a Jew, then how will they be able to change laws regarding women and gentiles when there is no will to do so? It isnt only a question of timing in change. They see no need or have any pressure to change laws regarding women or gentiles. To the contrary, the pressure is to move in the other direction. Dina d'malchuta dina, was produced in the diaspora when to not have such a ruling would have been bad for the Jews, hence there was a will to change. But these are zealots who live on The Land Of Israel and it is not only permissible but commendable, even commanded to cleanse the land of the non-Jew. All Arabs are designated as pursuers who come to kill Jews so you have a religious command to kill them first. They are cave Jews. They have brought disgrace and dishonour on the Jewish People.
The harm that people like Ginsburg can set in motion is incredible. Others in the Yitzhar settlement who look to him for example are at risk of committing murder of non-Jews at his behest while thinking they are fulfilling God's will...
many people always use the good lord for their ill deeds - there is a special place in dante's inferno for people who do this in the name of the all mights, the risen god, the god that lives just behind the western wall and gathers all the little prayer papers from inside, reads them - and answers them - i pray at this wall, and the wall doth hear me prayers, it is not just like talking to a wall - it is my idol, i worship this wall, this land, this rock here too in Israel - at times, I do stop, look up at the sky and remember god.
(unless you're trying to violate Torah)
There are two types of "ger" mentioned in the Torah (according to rabbinic understanding): 1. "Ger Tzedek" (who may or may not be a tzaddik). This is a person who converted to Judaism and is considered a regular Jew. Nobody is allowed to do him more harm than to any other Jew. 2. "Ger Toshav", who is a Gentile residing in the land. This type, like the Palestinians in the West Bank today, is the subject of the Ginsberg book.