Self-Identification with Israelites Tribes and the Opinion of Rabbi Akiva Concerning the Future Return of Israel.
Contents:
1. Introduction.
2. What Tribe(s) do you think you belong to?
3. Who was Rabbi Akiva?
4. Rabbinical Appraisals of the Opinion of Rabbi Akiva.
5. The Commentary of Rashi on the Opinion of Rabbi Akiva.
6. Lost Ten Tribes to be in America and along the Atlantic Coastline of Western Europe!
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1. Introduction.
A recent talk we gave came up with two issues of importance:
(1) Self-identification with a particular Israelite Tribe.
(2) The opinion that the Lost Ten Tribes will not return.
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2. What Tribe(s) do you think you belong to?
"Ephraimites" are Gentile believers usually from the West Peoples who believe they descend from the Ten Tribes. Their identifications overlap with those of ourselves, i.e. of Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness.
Some individual Ephraimites believe they descend from a particular Israelite Tribe, e.g. from Gad, From Joseph, from Benjamin, etc. Even though Judah and Benjamin were not part of the Ten Tribes but rather remained in the Kingdom of Judah along with Levi and others who later joined them, there were elements from the Kingdom of Judah who became attached tot he Ten Tribes and shared their destiny. So too, there were members of the Ten Tribes who became absorbed by Judah. Scripture refers to the one elements as "Joseph" or "Samaria" after the main body just as it calls those who remained behind "Jews" after Judah. Mordecai from the Tribe of Benjamin is a called a "Yehudi" i.e. a Jew.
Esther (NASB) 2:
5 THERE WAS A JEW AT THE CITADEL IN SUSA WHOSE NAME WAS MORDECAI, THE SON OF JAIR, THE SON OF SHIMEI, THE SON OF KISH, A BENJAMINITE, 6 WHO HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM JERUSALEM WITH THE EXILES WHO HAD BEEN DEPORTED WITH JECONIAH KING OF JUDAH, WHOM NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE KING OF BABYLON HAD DEPORTED.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness also identifies specific groups with one or other of the Israelite Tribes.
Some people are reserved concerning Brit-Am Identifications of certain ethnic groups with Israelite Tribes.
They also feel uneasy with the way that some individuals apply these to themselves.
Our Tribal Identifications are logical. They are consistent with Scripture and confirmed from different sources that prove themselves.
So too, the applications of these to indications are also valid.
Even if in some instances there are incorrect, they cannot be far off the mark. They serve a purpose and enable a deeper understanding of the subject and of the inter-linking of different fields of evidence and appreciation.
We encourage everyone to seek out what Tribal Group they most likely belong to and/or feel most drawn towards.
This helps deepen an appreciation as to who the Ten Tribes are. Even if one is wrong in this matter no harm will have been done. One the contrary. You will have been brought forward and benefited from a greater depth of understanding.
This is a service Brit-Am offers through in-depth analysis of individual Tribal characteristic we can get closer to the Tribe itself and through that Tribe with all the rest of Israel.
I myself now think I belong to the Tribe of Levi.
Nevertheless Judah, Dan, Asher, and other Tribes are also possibilities. This helps me consider all the Tribes from a realistic perspective.
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3. Who was Rabbi Akiva?
A foremost great Jewish sage, Rabbi Akiva son of Joseph, is often quoted as saying that the Ten Tribes are not returning. How do we deal with that?
Anyway, returning to the subject of Rabbi Akiva.
Akiva ben Joseph (c. 50 135 CE), was a leading Rabbinical Scholar and Sage. His hometown was the city of Lod near Lud Airport and the present-day city of Tel Aviv.
The father of Rabbi Akiva had been a convert to Judaism.
Akiva himself was brought up without any learning.
He only learned to read and to study Torah at the age of 40. Through sheer strength of will he became a Rabbinical leader of his time and Rabbinical scholars of succeeding generations were pupils of his school.
he travelled widely including trips to Rome and Gaul. Rabbi Akiva played a role in the Bar Kokhba Revolt against Rome of 132-136 CE. Rabbi Akiva mistakenly considered Bar Kochba to be the promised Messiah. He was captured by the Romans and tortured to death in ca. 132 CE.
Rabbi Akiva is quoted as saying the Lost Ten Tribes will not return. Nevertheless it is not certain as to what he actually did say or rather what he meant by what he said:
cf.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/rabbi-akiba/
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4. Rabbinical Appraisals of the Opinion of Rabbi Akiva.
Extract:
Are the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel Ever Coming Back?
The saga of the ten lost tribes of Israelpart 2
By Yehuda Shurpin
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1701071/jewish/Are-the-Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel-Ever-Coming-Back.htm
Extracts:
There is a recorded dispute between two great sages in the Mishnah as to whether the ten tribes are going to come back:
Talmud Sanhedrin 110b:
RABBI AKIVA SAYS, THE TEN TRIBES WILL NOT RETURN, AS THE VERSE SAYS (DEUTERONOMY 29:27), AND THE LORD UPROOTED THEM FROM UPON THEIR LAND, WITH FURY, ANGER AND GREAT WRATH, AND HE CAST THEM TO ANOTHER LAND, AS IT IS THIS DAY.1 JUST AS A DAY PASSES AND IT WILL NEVER RETURN, SO TOO, THEY WILL BE EXILED NEVER TO RETURN.
RABBI ELIEZER SAYS, JUST LIKE A DAY IS FOLLOWED BY DARKNESS, AND THE LIGHT LATER RETURNS, SO TOO, ALTHOUGH IT WILL BECOME DARK FOR THE TEN TRIBES, G D WILL ULTIMATELY TAKE THEM OUT OF THEIR DARKNESS.2...
RABBI SHIMON BEN YEHUDAH, OF THE TOWN OF ACCO, SAYS IN THE NAME OF RABBI SHIMON: IF THEIR DEEDS ARE AS THIS DAYS,3 THEY WILL NOT RETURN; OTHERWISE THEY SHALL.4
# HOWEVER, THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO RULE, AND SAY THAT WE FOLLOW RABBI ELIEZERS OPINION THAT THE TEN TRIBES WILL ULTIMATELY BE REUNITED WITH THE REST OF ISRAEL AT THE TIME OF THE REDEMPTION WITH THE COMING OF THE MOSHIACH.17
17.
See Yeshuot Meshicho and Netzach Yisrael loc. cit.
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The author of this article then goes on to cite sources that the opinion of Rabbi Akiva on this matter concerning the Lost Ten Tribes not returning was not accepted:
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# THERE IS A GENERAL RULE THAT IN A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN RABBI AKIVA AND ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL SCHOLAR, THE FINAL RULING FOLLOWS RABBI AKIVAS VIEW. HOWEVER, HERE THIS RULE IS NOT APPLIED, BECAUSE: 1) HERE THERE ARE SEVERAL SAGES WHO DISAGREE WITH RABBI AKIVA, RABBI ELIEZER, RABBI SHIMON AND RABBI YEHUDAH; 2) WHEN RABBI YEHUDAH THE PRINCE SAID THAT THE TEN TRIBES ARE DESTINED FOR THE WORLD TO COME, HE WAS DECLARING THE CONCLUSION OF THE TALMUD (SEE RABBI YITZCHAK LAMPRONTI [16791756], PACHAD YITZCHAK, P. 172).
ADDITIONALLY, THE TALMUD ITSELF SEEMS TO REPRIMAND RABBI AKIVA FOR HIS VIEW, SAYING THAT 'SHAVKAH RABBI AKIVA LECHASIDUTEH,' RABBI AKIVA ABANDONED HIS USUAL SPIRIT OF KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY, FOR RABBI AKIVA WOULD USUALLY TRY TO EXONERATE THE JEWISH PEOPLE. SEE YESHUOT MESHICHO LOC. CIT. FOR A POSSIBLE REASON AS TO WHY RABBI AKIVA IN FACT CHOSE TO DO SO IN THIS INSTANCE.
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5. The Commentary of Rashi on the Opinion of Rabbi Akiva.
Rashi on Talmud Sanhedrin 110b:
{The Talmud says}: "JUST AS A DAY PASSES AND IT WILL NEVER RETURN, SO TOO, THEY WILL BE EXILED NEVER TO RETURN.} # IN THE MORNING IT IS DARK AND IN THE AFTERNOON LIGHT SO TOO IN THE EVENING IT BECOMES DARK AND GETS DARKER BUT THE NEXT DAY THERE IS LIGHT SO TOO THE TEN TRIBES ARE DESTINED TO RETURN AND TO RECEIVE A PORTION IN THE WORLD TO COME. THE TALMUD IS NOT REFERRING TO THEIR CHILDREN AND TO THE CHILDREN OF THEIR CHILDREN BUT RATHER TO THE VERY GENERATION WHO WERE EXILED. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE NO PORTION IN THE WORLD TO COME FOR THEY WERE THOROUGHLY CORRUPT. THEIR DESCENDANTS HOWEVER AND THE FOLLOWING GENERATIONS WILL HAVE MERIT AND VIRTUES (Midrash Rabah).
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6. Lost Ten Tribes to be in America and along the Atlantic Coastline of Western Europe!
We see from the above that Rashi understands Rabbi Akiva to be talking about the Ten Tribes who were exiled in history and NOT about their future descendants.
Note that we ALSO see from the above that the Talmud understands the verse in Deuteronomy 29:27 to be referring to the lost Ten Tribes.
Deuteronomy 29:27 AND THE LORD UPROOTED THEM FROM UPON THEIR LAND, WITH FURY, ANGER AND GREAT WRATH, AND HE CAST THEM TO ANOTHER LAND, AS IT IS THIS DAY.
The expression "ANOTHER LAND" ("Erets Acheret" in Hebrew is actually referring to North America,
see:
"America is Israelite. Names of the USA Prove Israelite Ancestry."
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/america.html
Rashi in continuation of the commentary we quoted above quotes the Talmud as saying that the Ten Tribes were exiled as one body to "Afriki."
This name "Afriki" can have several meanings in Classical Greek and Roman writings. One of the meanings for the word "Afriki" is
the Atlantic Coast Line of western Europe!
See:
Afriki. Tracing the Lost Ten Tribes.
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/rabbi/afriki.html