Does the Preoccupation with Subsidiary Questions Emanate from Antagonism? (5 January, 2014, 4 Shevet 5774)
Contents:
1. Introduction:Â Why did we say, Make an Offering in Exchange for an Answer?
2. What are the Aims of Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations?
3. What is Trolling?
4. Coming to Israel and the Troll Effect
5. Keeping the Commandments and the Troll Effect
6. The Troll Effect
7. Enemies. Why do they seek our harm? A List of Nefarious Motivations
8. Stick to the Point or Pay for our Time!
9. Conclusion.
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1. Introduction:Â Why did we say, Make an Offering in Exchange for an Answer
Recently we sent out a posting,
Brit-Am Now no. 2192.
http://hebrewnations.com/features/5/2193.html#a4
#4. Make an Offering in Exchange for an Answer
In light of the situation and for other reasons , for the time being:
We will endeavor to spread knowledge and answer questions concerning where the Lost Ten Tribes now are, Tribal identities, etc.
We will do this free of charge though we need funds and urge others to help fund our activities.
We believe that they who do will be blessed.
Other questions especially those of a religious polemical nature or of Biblical questions in general will be answered and dealt with if they are accompanied by an offering.
Those who wish are welcome to sponsor answers to questions posed by others.
There are Biblical precedents for this attitude of ours, cf.
- 1-Samuel 9:
- 5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the boy who was with him, 'Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us.' 6 But he said to him, 'There is a man of God in this town; he is a man held in honour. Whatever he says always comes true. Let us go there now; perhaps he will tell us about the journey on which we have set out.' 7 Then Saul replied to the boy, 'But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What have we?' 8 The boy answered Saul again, 'Here, I have with me a quarter-shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God, to tell us our way.' 9 (Formerly in Israel, anyone who went to inquire of God would say, 'Come, let us go to the seer'; for the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.) 10 Saul said to the boy, 'Good; come, let us go.' So they went to the town where the man of God was.
This posting was sent out in an attempt to raise some very needed funds and ALSO as an additional means to determine priorities.
We do not want to be diverted from our main aims. If however there really are burning issues and it is felt that only we can answer them then we will do so.
Otherwise they who wish to benefit from our wisdom and erudition or just want to express their contrary opinion at our expense should at least pay for part of it
or have someone else do it for them.
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2. What are the Aims of Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations?
Hebrew Nations concentrates on determining where the Ten Tribes are;Â spreading this knowledge; and working for the drawing together of Judah and the Ten Tribes.
These are the Three Rs of Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations:
Research
Recognition
Reconciliation.
We also deal with other issues as they surface BUT our primary aim is to spread knowledge of the Ten Tribes.
In the past we encouraged our subscribers to send us their questions on anything even remotely connected with the Ten Tribes or just Biblical Subjects in general.
The situation however has changed. We are fighting economically to keep going and pressured for time.
Also, the suspicion has been aroused that consciously or subconsciously there are those who do not seek our success.
It may be that through harping continuously on one non-essential particular point not only is our time being wasted but support for us is weakened.
This is a form of Trolling.
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3. What is Trolling?
Trolling is acting like a Troll.
A definition of a Troll is given in Wikipedia:
Troll (Internet)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[ extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog), either accidentally or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
We are not  visited by Trolls in the real sense BUT a tendency may exist to concentrate on what are considered weak points in order to weaken our overall effect.
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4. Coming to Israel and the Troll Effect
Examples of a Trolling Effect are questions about Joes (i.e. Ephraimites) being allowed to come and live in the State of Israel at present with equal rights to the Jews. The argument goes that if Joes really are descended from Israelites then they should have as much right to the Land as Jews do. In the future this will be the case and we are working towards it. For the present, things are not that simple however as we have explained on numerable occasions, with infinite patience, over and over again.
Our position on this matter reflects the Truth of reality. It is however not popular. It is also theoretical BUT by placing excessive emphasis on the question some support for us may be eroded.
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5. Keeping the Commandments and the Troll Effect
A similar situation exists over the matter of Joes being obligated to keep the Commandments today.
We are in favor of the voluntary adoption of Biblical practices by Joes but we do not think it obligatory at present. Things may change in the future. Here the situation is different. There are no Joes who want to Keep the Commandments as the Jews understand them [Otherwise they might convert to Judaism or wish to do so]. The Joes want rather to do their own thing, invent their own ways of doing things, and choose what they will and will not observe. Fair enough again. It is a free country. We disagree with this but normally we would not make a big deal out of it. Worse things exist. Nevertheless, expecting us to advocate this approach  as something obligatory and then arguing with us when we do not is another story.
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We survive through selling our publications and offerings.
The situation is very difficult but meanwhile we keep going.
We have a number of supporters who regularly give modest amounts which taken together are very important.
Here and there we have, or have had in the past, supporters who give larger amounts from time to time.
Some of these have a desire to come and live in Israel at present and also believe that all descendants of the Ten Tribes should keep the law.
They know that our own understanding does not correspond to theirs on these matters.
Since we usually try not to emphasize the above points and also concentrate on spreading knowledge of Israelite Ancestry it would not normally matter.
By pressuring us to excessively address these issues however a different image emerges.
This could be harmful to us.
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7. Enemies. Why do they seek our harm? A List of Nefarious Motivations
There are those who would like to cut us down to size even though we are not that big as it is.
Motivations are varied. Some of those we have encountered are listed below.
There may be others. The list is more or less in random order and not in sequence of importance.
Anti-Semitism.
We are Jewish. We try not to offend Christians. Nevertheless there are those who do not like it.
Racism.
We are against Racism. Here too, others think differently.
German or Other Patriotism
We hold that the Germans are not Israelites. There were Israelites in Germany but most of them left in the Great migrations to North America in recent times.
There are those who dislike us because of this.
Color Prejudice
We are against racial prejudice based on color against dark people.
There are white people who object.
We also say that a good proportion of the Ancient Israelites were white and we prove it. There are dark people, or white people who think they are dark, who do not like this.
Facts versus the Spirit
We bring concrete evidence from the Bible and secular sources. There are those who feel an inner revelation is what counts and resent our emphasis on physical descent and proof of it.
Zionism
We believe the State of Israel should be supported and expanded. Others do not.
Jewish Religious Views
Yair Davidiy along with some of our Jewish supporters has an Ultra-Orthodox outlook in many ways. By virtue of this we have received informational leads and insights of importance.
We are not trying to propagate Judaism. Even if we were it would not help. Nevertheless it naturally happens that our own predilections occasionally come shining through.
There are those who attribute this to some kind of agenda.
Maybe there is. If you find out what it is please inform us. We would like to know.
Conspiracy Theorists, and Karaites, etc.
We dislike Conspiracy Theories and Karaites. Both to our minds are often anti-Jewish. We also dislike others or others dislike us. There are those who feel a loyalty to our dislikes and in some ways requite us in kind. They have told us as much.
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8. Stick to the Point or Pay for our Time!
The Three Rs of Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations are:
Research
Recognition
Reconciliation.
We concentrate on determining where the Lost Ten Tribes are.
We are also prepared to deal with other issues when necessary.
If this however is liable to harm or lessen support for us then we should be compensated in advance.
Such compensation could also serve as an indication that those asking are genuinely motivated.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations serves a vital cause.
Our priorities are what should count i.e. proving where the Ten Tribes are and bringing the knowledge home to those whom it involves.
This is the main point.
We should be helped because of this.
It involves all of us.
Those who disagree with us over a subsidiary issue should still support us.
They who want us to dedicate time and energy to subsidiary issues need to show they are genuine.