Are the Terms Jewish and Judaism Prejudicial Towards the Ten Tribes? (31 December, 2013, 28 Tevet, 5774)
 Contents:
1. Introduction. The Jews are Israelites but not all Israelites are Jews
2. Misuse of the term "Jews" and "Jewish"
3. What Can be Done?
4. Judah Includes Members of ALL the Tribes!
5. Conclusion. The Need for Reforming others while Maintaining a Correct Perspective Ourselves.
1. Introduction. The Jews are Israelites but not all Israelites are Jews
In Biblical Times Judah and Israel were sometimes listed as two separate sections (cf. 1-Kings 4:20). This was even before they divided into 2 different Kingdoms. The northern Ten Tribes were exiled and lost consciousness of their ancestry. We trace them to Western Nations.
We correspond with people in these nations who believe they are of Israelite Descent. Many of them feel they should keep the commandments as commanded in the Bible.
Some of them also object to the terms Jews and Judaism. They say that though the Jews are Israelites not all Israelites are Jews. So too, the Laws of Moses were given to al Israel. Both Christian and Jewish sources however often use the term "Jewish" or "Judaism" to refer to Israelites and Torah Religion in general . The terms are used synonymously. We do not use them as such but others do and when necessary we may quote them.Â
2. Misuse of the term "Jews" and "Jewish"
The Misuse of these terms may be divided into two:
(a) Historically: It was not only the Jewish People who came out of Egypt and received the Law etc. It was the whole Hebrew Israelite Nation. It is a mistake to call all of the Israelites "Jews" or "Jewish".
(b) Keeping the Law is often referred to as Judaism. This is not really inaccurate. Nevertheless alternate terms may be preferable especially in light of our findings and the Israelite arousal of probable descendants of Israelites who were not from Judah but from other Tribes of Israel.
The Jews are the ones who kept keeping the Law when the other Tribes stopped doing so. They retained their identity as Israelites when the others lost it. We would like to help the other Tribes get their identity back but at the moment they are not helping us very much.
Two points should be made on the issue of terminology.
(1) Nothing can be done about it apart from spread knowledge of the Ten Lost Tribes. Many people are not familiar with this concept. Nor have they heard of our findings. By spreading knowledge it may be expected that eventually a more precise terminology will be accepted.
(2)Â We need to be less uptight about the matter. Technically the term "Judaism" for Keeping Torah Law is not really incorrect.
4. Judah Includes Members of ALL the Tribes!
It was prophesied that the Jews would retain their identity until the End Times.
[Genesis 49:10] THE SCEPTRE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH, NOR A LAWGIVER FROM BETWEEN HISÂ FEET, UNTIL SHILOH COME; AND UNTO HIM SHALL THE GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE BE.
Menasseh ben Israel explained the above verse (n his book Conciliator) as:
# [Genesis 49:10] THE SCEPTRE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH # i.e. Judah shall always be recognizable as an Israelite Tribe. The word translated as Sceptre [i.e. royal staff] in Hebrew is Shevet which also means Tribe. The Tribe of Judah will always be recognizable whereas the other Tribes would lose their identity until the Time of the Messiah i.e. until Shiloh.
The word Jew is derived from the name Judah. The Kingdom of Judah comprised the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin with most of Levi.
After the division of Judah from the Ten Tribes we are told that in the time King Rehoboam of Judah all of the Tribe of Levi and many from the other Tribes moved to Judah.
2-Chronicles 11:
13 The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all their territories. 14The Levites had left their common lands and their holdings and had come to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had prevented them from serving as priests of the Lord, 15and had appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the goat-demons, and for the calves that he had made. 16Those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.
Small minority groups from all the Tribes attached themselves to the Kingdom of Judah. Their descendants would also be known as Jews and their religion as Judaism.
See:
The Completeness of the Exile
http://www.britam.org/CompleteExile.html
Nachmanides. Israel in Exile
http://www.britam.org/Nachmanides.html
In other words there were two sections of the Israelite Nation: The Jewish section headed by Judah included people from all the Tribes. It was this section that historically kept the Law and therefore Keeping the Law came to be called Judaism. It still is. The term Jew was applied to whosoever derived from the Kingdom of Judah and not necessarily from the Tribe of that name. In the Book of Esther, for instance, we meet Mordecai the uncle of Esther:
Esther 2:5 Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. 6 Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away.
Mordecai was from the Tribe of Benjamin but he was referred to as a Jew since his forebears came from the Kingdom of Judah.
Perhaps the terms Jew and Judaism are  not accurate. They also may be discouraging to those non-Jews who believe they descend from Israel who also want to Keep the Commandments but do not want to be considered Jewish.
Such people are welcome to adhere to adhere to terminology of their own, more descriptive of themselves.
This brings us to the question as to whether our time there really can be such a thing as non-Jewish Israelites who genuinely Keep the Commandments.
This is the subject of another article.
See:
Keeping the Law.
5. Conclusion. The Need for Reforming others while Maintaining a Correct Perspective Ourselves.
Applying the term Jew to all Israelites in an historical context is incorrect. So too, using the word "Judaism" for adherence to the Law of Moses is also misleading.Â
We should take care ourselves to use the terms correctly. By spreading knowledge concerning the Ten Tribes it may be hoped that a correct usage of the terminology by more widely adhered to.
At the same time it should be realized that the mistaken usages are innocent and understandable ones. No nefarious intentions underlay them.
Not only that but in some contexts they are not completely in error. We need to keep matters in perspective.