Were the British Isles and North America Promised to Become Israelite? (17 May 2017, 21 Iyar, 5777)
Duration: 10.41 minutes
The Lost Ten Tribes are now among western peoples especially those in the British Isles and the offshoots of Britain. A great Jewish Rabbinical authority, the Hatam Sofer, opined that the Atlantic Ocean area including the British Isles in the future will be part of the Land of Israel. This ties in with our studies showing descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes to be in those areas.
Contents:
1. Introduction. What do the Sources Say?
(a) Hatam Sofer
(b) "Levushi Mordecai" (by Rabbi Mordechai Leib Winkler, 1845-1932).
(c) "Natan Priyo" (by Rabbi Nathan Gestetner, 1932-2010)
2. Who Was the Hatam Sofer?
3. What Exactly was Said?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. Introduction. What do the Sources Say?
Below is related information of the utmost importance.
This knowledge however involves acquaintance with individuals and concepts that are probably foreign to most of our readers.
So bear with us while we explain the situation as well and as comprehensibly as possible.
We ask our readers to neither get over-excited nor dismiss this knowledge out of hand.
It is of importance and taken together with our other studies confirms our identification of the Lost Ten Tribes as Peoples now dwelling in the West of Europe and especially in the Isles of Britaina nd the offshoots of the British Isles overseas.
First let us see what some of the sources say:
===============================
(a) Hatam Sofer [The name may also be written as "Chatam Sofer," or "Chasam Sofer."]
Commentary to the Talmud, Baitsa 4b.
# It seems to me, may HaShem expand our border quickly in our days, for then all the isles and islands that are in the Great Sea opposite the Land of Israel to the western limit of the Okeanos [Atlantic Ocean] all of it shall belong to the Land of Israel, and study the source [in the Talmud], Gittin 8a, and in Tosafot where it begins Said Rabbi Yehudah. Indisputably all this is part of the [lands given to] Ten Peoples... #
Explanation:
The Hatam Sofer is referring to two different points that he considers to be one and the same: (1) The true Borders of the Land of Israel; and (2) The land originally promised to Abraham and how to interpret the promise.
Let us examine the second point firstly:
Abraham was originally promised the Lands of Ten Canaanite Peoples:
Genesis 15:
18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abraham, saying,
To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.
When the Israelites actually inherited the Land they received the Lands of ONLY seven Canaanite Nations.
The peoples whose lands they did not inherit were the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite (Genesis 15:19).
These lands will be added on to the Land of Israel given to Israelites in the End Times.
The Hatam Sofer is including the Isles in the West in these lands.
We shall return to this matter later.
===============================
(b) Levushi Mordecai (by Rabbi Mordechai Leib Winkler, 1845-1932).
Part Three, Yorei Daeah, 49.
# I heard from my Rabbi and Teacher... who heard from the holy mouth of our teacher, the Hatam Sofer, concerning the borders of the Land [of Israel in the future]: the Country of "England" belongs to the islands of the Holy Land.... It is known what is said in Midrashim that Jerusalem is destined to expand like the whole of Land of Israel [is now] while the Land of Israel shall increase [in size] greatly... #
===============================
(c) "Natan Priyo" (by Rabbi Nathan Gestetner, 1932-2010)
https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A0%D7%AA%D7%9F_%D7%92%D7%A9%D7%98%D7%98%D7%A0%D7%A8
Commentary to Talmud, Gittin 8a.
# The Hatam Sofer... wrote that all the Islands in the Great Sea up until the end of the Okeanos Sea [Atlantic Ocean] shall all belong to the Land of Israel, at all events they are part of the Lands of the Ten Nations [Promised to Abraham]... Levushei Mordecai heard from his teacher, who heard from the Hatam Softer, that the Land of England as well is part of the islands of the Holy Land...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2. Who Was the Hatam Sofer?
The Hatam Sofer was one of the leading Rabbinical authorities of all time.
This does not mean that his op[inion has to be accepted in all matters.
It does however imply that what he said should always be considered and taken into account.
Moses Sofer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Sofer
Moses Schreiber (1762-1839), also known by his main work Chatam Sofer, Chasam Sofer or Hatam Sofer, (trans. Seal of the Scribe...) was one of the leading Orthodox rabbis of European Jewry in the first half of the nineteenth century.
... Sofer established a yeshiva in Bratislava (Pressburg in German), the Pressburg Yeshiva, which became the most influential yeshiva in Central Europe, producing hundreds of future leaders of Hungarian Jewry...
Sofer published very little during his lifetime. His posthumously published works include more than a thousand responsa, novellae on the Talmud, sermons, biblical and liturgical commentaries, and religious poetry. He is an oft-quoted authority in Orthodox Jewish scholarship. Many of his responsa are required reading for semicha (rabbinic ordination) candidates. His Torah chiddushim (original Torah insights) sparked a new style in rabbinic commentary, and some editions of the Talmud contain his emendations and additions.
The Hatam Softer was probably the leading Rabbi in his generation and perhaps one of the greatest of all time:
Sofer, Rabbi Moshe (The Chasam Sofer)
by OU Staff
https://www.ou.org/judaism-101/bios/leaders-in-the-diaspora/rabbi-moshe-sofer-the-chasam-sofer/
What was the power of the Chasam Sofer? It was his sense that he represented the Jewish people of his generation. This historic sense manifested itself in many ways. For example, his son, Rabbi Shimon Sofer once asked him how he could respond to complex halachic questions so rapidly? To which the Chasam Sofer replied that in each generation G-d sends an individual to guide his people. Since most questions come to him he must be that person in this generation. Therefore, even if the rationale he gave for a ruling could be refuted, the ruling itself was correct since it was divinely directed. On another occasion he wrote that in 40 years of deciding halachic questions he changed his mind only twice and even in those two instances he should not have reversed himself.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
3. What Exactly was Said?
It was said that the Israelites in the future would inherit the lands of all ten Canaanite Nations Promised to Abraham and not just the seven they had received previously.
There were originally 12 Canaanite peoples one of which was called Canaan as well as Canaan being a generic name for them all (Genesis 9:25).
We saw above that Abraham had been promised the lands of 10 Canaanite Nations (Genesis 15:19).
When the Israelites entered the land to conquer it they were given the lands of only seven Canaanite peoples.
Deuteronomy 7:
1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you.
The three missing nations were the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite (Genesis 15:19).
Who Were these Peoples?
The Commentary of Rashi says: "These are Edom, Moab, and Ammon, and the Kadmoni is Edom... "
Rashi apparently took his source from the Talmud.
Talmud, Baba Batra 56a:
Keni, Kenazzi, Kadmoni. [These are] Rabbi Aliva said Naftuchi. Arvayah [Arabs], and Salmayi. Rabbi Yehudah said: Mout Seir [Edom], Ammon and Moab. Rabbi Shimeon said Ardiskos, Asia [northwest Turky], and Aspamia [Spain?].
Midrash, Genesis, Lech Lecha 23:
#... and who are the three who were not given unto them?
Rabbi said: Aravi [Arabs], Salmi [Solymi in Asia Minor, i.e. Turkey?], Guti [Guti or Goths?].
Rabbi Shimeon ben Yochai said: Darmoskos [Damascus], Asia [Asia Minor near Lydia, Turkey], and Aspamia [Spain?].
Rabbi Elazar ben Yaacov said: Asia [Asia Minor near Lydia][Sefer "Ha-Arukh" explains Asia to mean Ashkenaz, i.e. Germany?], Thrakia [Thrace], and Kartaginiya [Carthage].
Rabbanan [Rabbis] said; Edom and Moab.... Kenazi is from Esau; Keni and Kadmoni are from Ammon and Moab BUT in the Messianic Era they shall return to belong to Israel.cf.
What Does all this Mean?
At first glance it looks like a jumble of contradictory opinions.
Taking it altogether however and using some historical and other knowledge we get the following:
Esau (i.e. Edom) was the son of Isaac son of Abraham. Ammon and Moab were children of Lot who was the nephew of Abraham and associated with him.
They initially received the lands of three of the Canaanite nations which were detracted from the 10 nations that the Israelites should have received. Edom, Ammon and Moab intermixed with these Canaanite Nations and in some sense may be identified with them. It says that Israelites will receive the Lands of these peoples in the Messianic Era. This does not mean ONLY those lands within the borders of the Promised Land at the time of Abraham. It means lands occupied since then by these peoples in historical times. The question is merely when and who?
For example,
Rabbi Elazar ben Yaacov said: Asia [Asia Minor near Lydia], Thrakia [Thrace], and Kartaginiya [Carthage].
Canaanite people dwelt in all these areas.
The Thracians were mixture of Canaanites and Indo-Europeans. Other Midrashim equate Thrace with both Canaan and Japhet.
Carthage in North Africa was founded by settlers from the Phoenician- Canaanite city of Tyre in north Canaan.
The Hatam Softer has included Britain and the islands (i.e. Ireland) reaching up to (and apparently including North America as those lands (or part of them) that will be considered part of the Land of Israel in Messianic Times. Taking other factors into consideration this conforms to the understanding that these areas will have been settled by Israelites from the Lost Ten Tribes.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The sources concerning the opinion of the Hatam Sofer were originally obtained by us from the work Eretz Chemda, 20, who quotes Levush Mordecai in the name of the Hatam Sofer.
Mark Williams urged us to clarify the sources and confirm that they had been correctly quoted.
Rabbi David Feldman helped us confirm these sources and add to them.
Continued at Atlantic Britain