RABBI PINCHAS WINSTON
www.thirtysix.org
"I never set out to deal with the topics of Acharis HaYamim (End-of-Days), Moshiach, or Eretz Yisroel. I can't even say that I have become completely comfortable discussing these topics in public, especially with people whom I don't know and who don't know me. But what can I do? The more I learn, the more a picture emerges that suggests that we are living in what is best described as exciting but precarious times. Exciting because we are probably going to be the generation to see Moshiach and the inevitable but long-awaited end to world evil. Precarious, because without the proper Torah attitude it is possible to get lost in the transition, God forbid. Divine Providence is very active in daily life today warning us of things to come, to help us make the transition to Yemos HaMoshiach as smooth as possible. It has also made available so many sources that make it clear we have little time left, and lots of work to do to change the way we think about living in exile. Four-fifths of the Jewish people were lost in the redemption from Egypt, and the Talmud suggests that we can face a similar catastrophe in our time as well, God forbid. And all because they didn't desire redemption and life in Eretz Yisroel! Kabbalah backs this warning up in amazing terms. If this doesn't define the game plan from this point onward, then what does? Clearly world events are meant to make Jews feel less at home abroad. The question is, how many more disasters will it take before Diaspora Jews realize and accept this? How much greater must the Islamic influence and infiltration become Jews come running back home? I don't think we have the luxury anymore of waiting around to find out."
www.thirtysix.org
"I never set out to deal with the topics of Acharis HaYamim (End-of-Days), Moshiach, or Eretz Yisroel. I can't even say that I have become completely comfortable discussing these topics in public, especially with people whom I don't know and who don't know me. But what can I do? The more I learn, the more a picture emerges that suggests that we are living in what is best described as exciting but precarious times. Exciting because we are probably going to be the generation to see Moshiach and the inevitable but long-awaited end to world evil. Precarious, because without the proper Torah attitude it is possible to get lost in the transition, God forbid. Divine Providence is very active in daily life today warning us of things to come, to help us make the transition to Yemos HaMoshiach as smooth as possible. It has also made available so many sources that make it clear we have little time left, and lots of work to do to change the way we think about living in exile. Four-fifths of the Jewish people were lost in the redemption from Egypt, and the Talmud suggests that we can face a similar catastrophe in our time as well, God forbid. And all because they didn't desire redemption and life in Eretz Yisroel! Kabbalah backs this warning up in amazing terms. If this doesn't define the game plan from this point onward, then what does? Clearly world events are meant to make Jews feel less at home abroad. The question is, how many more disasters will it take before Diaspora Jews realize and accept this? How much greater must the Islamic influence and infiltration become Jews come running back home? I don't think we have the luxury anymore of waiting around to find out."
- Rabbi Pinchas Winston
Pinchas Winston, born in 1959 in Toronto, Canada, received smichah (rabbinic ordination) in 1988 from Rabbi Avraham Kofshitz, zt"l, and Rabbi Noach Weinberg (Aish HaTorah, Jerusalem). He attended yeshivah at Aish HaTorah in the Old City of Jerusalem from 1982-88, before returning to Toronto to work with his father, an architectural designer. This was the field, as well as graphic design, in which Rabbi Winston was trained and for which he attended university before attending yeshivah in 1982.
In 1984 he was introduced to Ahava Newmark, and the following year they were married in Montreal, Canada, after which they lived in Eretz Yisroel until 1988 when they moved back to Toronto for just over four years, returning on aliyah in 1993 with children.
Rabbi Winston has taught at Aish HaTorah Toronto, Aish HaTorah Jerusalem, Neve Yerushalayim Seminary, Neve Tzion (Telzstone). He has lectured extensively in Canada, the United States, England, and gives regular weekly classes in different communities in the Jerusalem area.
Rabbi Winston is the author of the weekly parshah sheet, "Perceptions," that reaches about 10,000 people on a weekly basis through torah.org (Baltimore), thirtysix.org, and various other different outlets. He has written many books on various different topics of Torah philosophy, including the Torah attitude towards money, suffering, knowledge, Eretz Yisroel, relationships, and other topics. To date, Pinchas Winston has published over twenty works in one form or another. not including the hundreds of essays posted on his own site, www.thirtysix.org.
What makes Rabbi Winston's approach to Torah education unique is the way it takes concepts from the Talmud and Kabbalah sources and shows their genius in terms of understanding life and how it works, placing particular emphasis redemption and aliyah to Eretz Yisroel. In his own words:
"Being part of the Charedi world, it was easy to make life in Eretz Yisroel secondary, even after I already moved there. However, after seeing what the Talmud has to say about life in Eretz Yisroel, and then delving into Kabbalistic sources about the topic, I couldn't help but change my focus. And, the deeper my learning went, the clearer it became to me that we are living at the End-of-Days, and that our test primarily is how much we think about redemption, and about our willingness to return home after all these years of wandering to the four corners of the earth."
Pinchas Winston is an outstanding young man who has already had a profound influence on the Jewish world through his writings, lectures, and seminars. He is to be encouraged and supported in all of his efforts and works. I am confident that the Jewish world will benefit from his talents and insights.
(Rabbi Berel Wein, Rosh HaYeshivah of Sha'arei Torah, World-renowned author and lecturer)
Rabbi Pinchas Winston is one of the brightest stars to have appeared in the firmament of kiruv. He combines knowledge of many disciplines within Judaism into an inspiring and authentic presentation of our faith. As a teacher in Neve Yerushalayim, he has proved to be an invaluable resource. There is no question in my mind that the propagation of his books and lectures would be an immense service to the Jewish community.
(Rabbi Dovid Refson, Dean, Neve Yerushalayim, Jerusalem)