My collection of Quotes

I've come to the conclusion that the main purpose of writing or doing most things is to give others pleasure. So if I've given you some pleasure I have been rewarded for my efforts, which I confess are quite strenuous.

I don't think that wise sayings are meant to be practised, they're only indications of a person's opinions and guidelines to thoughts. They aren't dogmatic beliefs and a person can change his opinions about life and daily events. 

Some sayings appear to be wise, others are plainly nonsense, but these are things I have thought about or that I've heard tourists say while guiding tourists around the places which are holy for them.​

The Bible

Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:3

Pirke Avot (Jewish Book of Ethics)quotes

Everything is in the hands of God, excepting the fear of God. 

My friend's quotes Interpretation: (By my friend Sid Gordon) 

God doesn't make decisions for man (like being righteous or wicked) every person makes his or her own decisions in life. God allows this because He does not force anyone to be righteous and holy or to be wicked. Man is responsible for these decisions.

Sid Gordon Fri 13th Nov 09

"I didn't know that calvary and the tomb of Jesus were so close to each other" 

Tourist Bob Thur 3rd Dec 09 

Never give up on the internet. Keep at it untill you get it right.

Candy 

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Always be willing to let go of the life you had planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for you.

My Quotes:

Be patient with people, everybody, especially those close to you. People need time to come round to think about what they have said or done. 

People will criticise themselves much more fiercly and effectively than you can ever do, but you need patience untill they think about the things they've done or said. 

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Social order is maintained by the spread of myths which Plato calls "Noble LIes and maimonides calls "necessary and useful beliefs." 

Sun 15th Nov 09 

What is the light at the end of the dark path of Jewish HIstory which illuminates every step we take? it is the light of Torah. 

It's important to enjoy something beautiful each day. 

Tues 1st Dec 09

looking back at the light and shade of Jewish history we’re hopeful that whatever tragedies the future may bring, joyous events will follow.

Western (Wailing) Wall quotes 

Tues 17th Nov 09 

Jews pray at the wall for God not to destroy the world 

The wall is the closest we can come to the place where holiness used to come down to earth without standing on the place itself. 

Temple sacrifice quotes 

God used to send holiness down to earth when the priests used to sacrifice at the temple, now we aren't worthy to recieve the holiness because we're not holy, because we have defiled ourselves with war and blood and in any case there aren't anymore priests. 

Because of this we live in darkness and just as people sleep in the darkness and dream so the temple has become a dream

Leon's War quotes 

We’ll win the war when we stop fighting. 

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"you move to violence by blaming someone for nonsense. You move people to peace by not blaming anyone." 

Leon's interpretation quotes

Puccini’s opera Manon Lescaut is the tragedy of a woman who takes love from one man and money from another. 

Leon's quotes about Jesus 

Sat 14th Nov 09 

Jesus was not the saviour of the Jews neither was he their king or god.

Leon's Calvary Quotes

Calvary and the tomb of Jesus weren't close to each other. The closeness was artificially contrived by Constantine to facilitate pilgrimage . 

Winston Churchill 

Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is."

Ed Morrissey

"Mass murderer in Norway gets 99.5 days in prison per victim" 

"scary but it would help if other nations make sure that this guy stays in Norway and never enters another country." 

beena sarwar 

If clerics can hold forth from pulpits, move crowds to be violent in religion's name, they should also be able to move crowds to be peaceful.

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More of My Quotes:

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worries take up too much thinking space in my brain and I am very worried about its capacity. 

Jews mourn at the Wailing because the destruction of the temple signified the imminent destruction of the world. 

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You don’t have to hate someone just because you disagree with him.

the Jews are the guardians of the temple and God will give them back that task. 

Moslems will agree to Jewish sovereignty of the Holy Land if they become Moslem.

Gambling is stealing honestly from people prepared to pay for the chance to steal honestly. 

God wants to destroy the world but desists because of devout Christians, Jews and Moslems.

Offering animal sacrifices Jews thought they were saving the world from destruction which God was preparing to carry out after Adam's sin.

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Israelis have lost patience with the Arabs and aren’t interested in fighting extended wars. Leon Gork

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Jewish idealism established the State of Israel to reach for the top of an ideal society

Hanlie Gordon

advice for folding bike enthusiasts CAREFULL THAT THE THING DONT FOLD UP WHILE YOU ARE TRAVELING! MOOI BLY.

Rabbi of Kotzk

horses follow the middle of the path humans always walk along the edge.

More of my very own quotes:

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why is it important to know that there is a god? won't i be just as happy not knowing that he exists as knowing?

levels of society are joined to each other, like mountain climbers struggling to reach the peak. Leon Gork

the Garden of Eden is the world we leave behind after we die, our lives are a once in a lifetime opportunity to make it more perfect Leon Gork

The Death of Sigmund Freud Mark Edmundson P.232

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to renounce the visible in the interest of the unseen is an enormously difficult task.” 

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for all to go well, he needed to have a close friend to confide in and a spirited enemy to oppose.

My Quote:

why is it important to know that there is a god? won't i be just as happy not knowing that he exists as knowing? 

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The animal is capable of achieving pure joy because it can't think. I am capable of achieving it because I can think.

My tours in Jerusalem and Israel are the closest one can come in Israel to the situation in Hyde Park, where everyone can speak his mind freely.

Hanukka in Israel is one of the most joyful festivals of the year because it is the true Independence day of Israel. 

Do you realize that if it wasn't for the Romans we'd be celebrating 2177 years of independence, counting from the year that the Maccabees established the independent Jewish State in 165 BCE.

The Romans created a rather long interlude of about 2000 years when they destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and took the 7 branched golden candelabra (the Menorah) to Rome.

Hanukkah means dedication. It's the day when the Temple was dedicated by the Macabees, this dedication took the form of kindling the Menorah which was and still is the emblem of the State of Israel, they called it Judea but it’s the same state as Israel.

Kindling it was a sign that the state had been established. Every government building has a Hanukiah (8 branched candelabra to celebrate that God made a miracle for his people by causing the candelabra to burn for 8 days with oil that should have lasted only 1 day) shining brightly for 8 nights in the most prominent place, usually on the roof, you can take a drive or walk around Jerusalem on a tour of the Hanukkah lights. 

You can walk through the religious neighborhoods of Jerusalem, Nahlaot, Knesset, Ohel Moshe, Beit Israel, the Bugharan Quarter and others and see the Hannuka lampls burning in the window of every home. There's simply no way you can forget that it's Hanukkah in Israel especially in Jerusalem

Kids eat doughnuts (Suvganiot) and Levivot (Potato pancakes), too fattening for adults. 

Die Stifter Israel Teil 1. David ben Gurion

Ben Gurions bekanntestes Werk war die Erklärung des unabhängigen Staates Israel. das war am 14. Mai 1948 in der vorläufigen Regierungsgebäude bei 16 Rothschild boulevaard in Tel Aviv.  das war derHöhepunkt in sein ereignisreiches Leben, das mit seiner Geburt auf  dem 16. Oktober 1886 in einer kleinen Stadt wie Plonsk bekannt begann, die Herkunft der zahlreiche weitere Persönlichkeiten* 


Ben Gurion war ein echter Idealist. Er sieht aus nicht nur der Erfolg für sich, sondern fur das ganse Judische Volk.  Sein ziel wahr die situation seine Volk zu verbesseren. Sein Leben und die Leben seines Volk verbunden würde.


Ben Gurion enstehtet aus ein Zionistischen hintergrund, sein Vater Avigdor Grüen war mitglied der Hovevei Zion bewegung, eine frühe Zionistische Bewegung das junge menschen motiveert hatte nach Palestina einzuwandern.

Wen ben Gurion war nur 14 jaar alt er stiftete, zusamen mit einige freunde die Ezra bewegung für  junge menschen moderne judentums zu studieren.


Auf Universitat in Warsaw meldetet er an die Socialistische Democratische Partei des Judischen Arbeiter. Er war zweimal arestieert während der russischen Revolution. In 1906 wanderte er nach Palästina. Sobald er kam er war gewähltet Mitglied des zentralkomittees der Poalei Zion bewegung und dan wurde er zum vorstitzenden der gremium.

Er pflücktet Orangen in Petah Tikvah, er wohntet in die Galilee wo er arbeitet in die landwirtschaft dan zog er aus die Politik und meldetet an die Gruppe Wachter in die Siedlung Sejera, er kämftet gegen Arabische angreifen auf die Judischen Siedlungen in Gallileen. 1911 fingte er an zu studieren in Thesaloniki in Grienchenland. Die tatsache dass Juden dort alle Arten von arbeit tat beeindruckt ihn sehr. Er setzte sein Studium der Rechtswissenschaften in Istanbul fort.

Man darf ben Gurions motivierrung  hier zu immigrieren erklären weil Israel war damals bekennt wie ein wuste wo nur krafthaftigedie primitiefe menschen wohnen und die uberherschende Turken wären nicht freundlich zum fremden in algemein und sicher nicht zum Juden. Anstatt nach Palestina zu fahren ben Gurion hat gekonnt imigrieren nach ander viel mehr beschaftende lände wie der USA, Grand Britanien, Frankreich und die Lände des neuen welt, Sud America, Sud Africa. Diese Lände hat neue immigrante welkom gemacht und junge Judische Leute hatten dort viel erfolg.

Obwohl al die attraktive vorteile andere Lände beschliest ben Gurion nach Palestina zu immigrieren. Viel andere Juden hatten damals nach die andere Lände geimmiriert.

Die Zuwanderung von solchen idealistische menschen wie ben Gurion legte eine solide Grundlage für die vielvesprchende Zukunft Israels.

*
Henryk Sienkiewicz .nobel Preisträger für Literatur im Jahre 1905 bekannt,, lebte dort als Erzieher desWeyher Familie im Jahr 1865
Anzia Yezierska 1880 - 1970 ein berühmten amerikanisch-jüdischen Schriftstellerin
Eugene Sulkowski (1935-2011) Wissenschaftler, hat bemerkenswerte Beiträge zur metallischemChromatographie bei Roswell Park Cancer Institute inBuffalo, New York .

Israel and her Arab neighbors

I would like to point out to the various pessimists on both the Israel side of the "Dialogue Table" that the two groups of people, the Israelis and the Arabs are discussing peace between them. Perhaps we're not sitting at a table but the UN is that table.

I remember when an Israel representative stood up to speak all the delegates of the Arab countries got up and walked out also some of their sympathisers.

I am favourably surprised at how Netanyahu speaks and all the Arab delegates listen to him and even comment on his speech. They don't agree of course but they are listening and hopefully they are figuring out a way to live at peace with the Jewish State.

When there's dialogue there isn't war. War starts when there's no dialogue. In spite of what anyone may think there is dialogue. We're not cursing each other and not threatening. I didn't hear a word of that in either Netanyahu's speech or Abas' speech.

At this point, even though I believe in dialogue, I'm getting used to the idea that a Palestinian State can be declared by the Palestinians before a dialogue takes, or before an official dialogue takes place.

The ultimate dialogue is only for fixing the borders of the two states, Palestine and Israel. It's not about the establishment of a Palestinian State. There's no doubt about that in anyone's mind.

Once there is a state dialogue over the borders, water rights etc. can take place. We already have an agreement on borders, the Oslo Agreement. Some people, Palestinians and Israelis would like to change that agreement. Changes can only be made when a Palestinian State comes into being, respected by Israel aswell as the world.

When Abbas visits Israel as a respected head of a state there is a basis for dialogue.

This will be inshalla.

Democracy and Anti - Democracy

The demonstrations taking place throughout the country and the publicity they've been getting makes it seem that the whole country is demonstrating and supports the demonstrators in their demands: cheaper housing, more help for young parents in bearing the cost of pre-school education and higher salaries for doctors.

From time to time other groups, like the elderly, holocaust survivors and the handicapped also participate.

Demonstrations are great because they bring problems to light and they might influence members of parliament to vote against the government which would bring about an election, but a democratic government doesn't resign because of a demonstration.

In the case of totalitarian governments, like you have in the Arab countries where many demonstrations have taken place recently, demonstrations are the only way to change the government.

If the government resigns because of this demonstration we would be like those totalitarian societies. It would mean the end of democracy in Israel. In a democracy We need to know that a true majority of the people aren't satisfied with the government before it resigns.

Demonstrations are legitimate and the government must listen to their complaints and possibly investigate making some laws to take care of the complaints. But resigning, definitely no, that would be anti-democratic.

A majority is decided according to the number of members of parliament who support or are against the government. That is democracy. Those members of parliament have been elected by the people and they constitute the will of the people.

A mass of people demonstrating doesn't constitute the will of the people.

Thank God we are a democracy, that's why I like to live in Israel.

People who demonstrate in a democratic society do so because they know that they can't topple the government by a representative majority of members of parliament.

Here, in Israel, a democratic society, a group of people are trying to topple the government by undemocratic means. It won't work because we aren't a totalitarian society as some tycoons who are supporting this demonstrations think we are.

As I say I don't oppose demonstrating for more benefits, higher salaries etc but I do oppose demonstrating to topple the government. That is an attempt to ruin democracy.

It's about time that the opposition went out to the electorate and worked at trying to woo more of them to support them in the next elections rather than throwing their weight with the tycoons in organizing gigantic demonstrations in an attempt to topple the government undemocratically.

I'm not in favor of Netanyahu's government and their policies but I am much less in favor of trying to topple them by undemocratic means. In fact I fear such means and will definitely not participate even though I agree that the cost of living is high and that we earn too little for the work we do.

No matter how many people demonstrate and no matter how violent they are      there's no way of knowing that they represent the majority of the people.  

If the people don't believe in the government which they've elected then obviously they must elect another government who they do believe in.

Democratic governments, however only resign when a vote in parliament goes against them, which means that they don't have a majority. A mass protest, no matter how big, can't prove to the government  that they don't have a majority to govern.

The Gaza debacle

Like most Iseaelis I believe in democracy. I think that even though we were disappointed that Hamas won the elections in Gaza in Jan 2005 we felt that at least the voice of the Palestinian People is being heard.

Naturally we didn't expect them to attack us the way they're doing now but we basically believe in the ultimate victory of democracy.  People who believe in democracy are patient and know that it takes time for all the people of a democracy to know that it's good to live in peace with other democracies.

I think that Ariel Sharon's policy to withdraw (2005) Jewish settlements from Gaza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel's_unilateral_disengagement_plan was an expression of the optimism we had in Palestinian democracy. I think we believed that once they had acquired democracy the Palestinians would realize the advantages of living at peace with Israel.

Now, however, that the whole Arab world is demonstrating for democracy we should be less naive than Sharon was and should realize that the Arabs in Gaza are showing what the Arab world expects of democracy, namely national support for all out war against Israel.

The democracy they achieved already in Jan 2005 has brought them together in a unity of people with individual rights, who have each made a choice to make war against Israel. Unlike the previous situation where a tyranical leader made the decision and the masses blindly followed.

This doesn't happen in a democracy the mass doesn't follow blindy. Individuals, open minded with clear individual intention have the same goal.

This individual clear mindedness is what makes a war launched by a democracy much more fierce than a war lauched by a tyrant. Untill now all the wars the Arabs have launched have been wars launched by tyrants where the voice of the people was silent.

Now the voice of the people will speak. Individuals speaking like one man.

This is why a democratic decision to go to war commits each individual member of the group. Which means that each individual is prepared to bear the consequences.

This is why a democracy can't afford to launch an unjust war like tyranies may do. Tyranies fight unjust wars democcracies only fight just wars.

A democracy goes to war only if it's sure of it's justness.

The Arabs consider that they have a just cause for war. That's nothing new. Israel has always considered that it's justified in going to war. Israel has always had the power of the voice of the people behind every war. Now the Arabs want the voice of the people behind their war.

Now the odds are more even. It's a war between two democracies and God help the loser.

This is not some Arab tyrant who has launched a war in Gaza, it's the People of Gaza. The democratic state of Gaza who has launched a war against the democratic state of Israel.

Democracy is a power to be wary of; the Arabs have yet to learn the true price of democracy.

O' Arabs of Gaza please be careful of the power of democracy!!!!!

The problem with Netanyahu

Some Israeli leaders, like our present government, express surprise that some nations, like the Arabs, untill 1981, didn't automatically recognise the right of the Jewish People to existence independently in the State of Israel when the state was declared in 1948.

Their attitude was based on their pride in our 3000 year history of achievements; we gave the world monotheism, the Bible, the ten commandments.

Netanyahu and his followers are so taken up by these wonders of the Jews that they forgot the bitter experience, despite our wonderful achievements, that the nations had 2000 years of Jews amongst them yet they didn't consider us a gift from God, on the contrary, most of those nations were antisemitic and persecuted us.

It's true that Herzl, founded the Zionist movement because he believed that antisemitism was caused by the Jews, being a nation without its own land, was a despised nation of wanderers among the other nations.

He believed that the establishment of a Jewish state in their own land would bring an end to anti-semitism and would cause the Jews to be respected as equals among the nations.

No matter how right Herzl was, recognition and good relations with other countries didn't follow automatically with the establishment of the state.

It would have been naive and narrow minded to expect this and Israel's early leaders, like Abba Eban, Moshe Sharett and others toiled long and hard to develop friendly relations with local Arabs in addition to our Arab neighbors and foreigners further afield.

It shouldn't have been a surprise to us that it would entail hard work of fostering good relations and bonds of friendship for us to be recognised by the nations

Only after fighting 3 wars to destroy Israel, one Arab nation, Egypt, recognised Israel's right to exist.

After 5 years Jordan followed but the rest of the Arab world is still antagonistic towards us.

There is still a long, hard road ahead and war isn't going to do the trick, neither is Netanyhu's kind of elitist, isolationist, better than thou attitude.

This is the image that Netanyahu has created in the world outside Israel.

Joining provocative nationalists like Lieberman and Eli Yishai has strengthened this image.

The very presence of these three characters as Israel's leaders puts off any foreigner from seeking a relationship with Israel.

There is in fact nothing these guys can do to ameliorate the ogre-like isolationist, elitist Jewish image they have in the outside world.

The only way to foster good relations with a world that once hated Jews is to get rid of these leaders and to go back to the painstaking, hard job of humbly stretching out the hand of friendship to our Arab brothers especially and to the world in general.

Jerusalem Walks

Leon's Latest News Comment. (1)
Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Dear friends and family, Shalom,

Many people are in flight today, some from Tsunamis in Indonesia, others from terrorist rockets in northern Israel and others from Israeli warplanes in Lebanon.

Each fleeing refugee has a tragic story to tell of suffering, loss of loved ones and property. They're united in a bond of suffering.

In cases like the Tsunami and Israelis in northern Israel, the moment of flight wasn't a matter of choice. The danger came suddenly.

But the fleeing people in Lebanon did have a choice because they knew of the terrorists that were using their country as an arsenal for deadly attacks on Israel.

The lesson is very simple: "Don't live in a land of lawlessness and murderers, or, if you have no choice but to live there, fight them, even at the cost of your life and don't let them carry out murder."

We must assume that the people of Lebanon either agreed with the objectives of terrorists like Nasrallah or had such a good life there that it was convenient for them to turn a blind eye to the murderous activities of their fellow citizens.

Wishing you a great no-news day. Yours truly. Leon.

Reply to: jerusalemwalks@gmail.com 

Leon Gork. Israeli Tour Guide.

Mobile phone 052 3801867
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