Lost Tribes in the East?
Contents:
1. Introduction and Rabbi Avigdor Miller
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(a) The Lost Ten Tribes in the East?
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2. The Eastern Identifications. Benjamin of Tudelo.
3. Jews of Bukhara and the Lost Ten Tribes.
4. Bnei Manasheh in Burma. Love the Convert.
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(b) Israelites in the West.
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5. Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness.
6. Israel Feld. Preparation for the Messiah and Return of the Real Lost Ten Tribes.
7. The Jews of Ethiopia. Not the Tribe of Dan? Renewal of the Covenant.
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1. Introduction and Rabbi Avigdor Miller
re
Reply to Rabbi M.
Rabbi Avigdor HaKohen Miller and the Lost Ten Tribes
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/polemics/rabbimiller.html
#... it is impossible today that a shevet [Tribe] should be hiding some place because we know the entire world. #
If therefore we do not find a people identifiable as from the Ten Tribes we may assume they do not exist. This argument is of relevance regarding claims that the Lost Ten Tribes are in the east, or in Africa, or in the Amerindian Americas.
The argument of Rabbi Miller is pertinent concernng the internal Debate among Jewish Rasbbinical Scholars as to where the Lost Ten Tribes are.
There are two main schools of thought:
(a) The Lost Ten Tribes are in the East.
(b) The Lost Ten Tribes are in the west.
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(a) The Lost Ten Tribes in the East?
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2. The Eastern Identifications. Benjamin of Tudelo.
Jewish travellers in t he past, such as Benjamin of Tudelo (Castille, Spain 1130 -1173) went on a trip lasting several years and wrote an account of it.
Wikipedia tells us:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_of_Tudela
# ... he proceeded north to France, then set sail from Marseilles. After visiting Genoa, Lucca, Pisa, and Rome, he went to Greece and Constantinople, then set off across Asia. He visited Syria, Lebanon, the Land of Israel, and northern Mesopotamia (which he called Shinar) before reaching Baghdad.[8] From there he went to Persia, then cut back across the Arabian Peninsula to Egypt and North Africa, returning to the Iberian Peninsula in 1173.[3] In his travels, he described a significant Jewish community somewhere around modern-day Ethiopia. ... He described his years abroad in a book, The Travels of Benjamin... which describes the countries he visited, with an emphasis on the Jewish communities, including their total populations and the names of notable community leaders. He also described the customs of the local population, both Jewish and non-Jewish... Although Benjamin is noted for citing sources and is generally regarded by historians as trustworthy, some of his claims are faulted as relying on earlier writers. #
Here and there Benjamin claims to have found remnants of the Ten Tribes or traditions concerning their whereabouts.
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3. Jews of Bukhara and the Lost Ten Tribes.
Similarly, the Jews of Bukhara had contradictory traditions. One said they were from the Ten Tribes, the other that they descended from Jews who had been exiled to Babylon. The second version is the more correct and accepted BUT the first may ahve been based on a genuine tradition that the Ten Tribes had been in their area. We say the same and show in our work The Tribes how descendants of the Ten Tribes sojourned in that area on their way to the north and west of Europe.
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4. Bnei Manasheh in Burma. Love the Convert.
We also hear claims such as those of the so-called Bnei Manasheh in Burma.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bnei_Menashe
These people belonged to the Chin, Kuki, and Mizo peoples of northeast India and Burma. They were primarily animists; among their practices was ritual headhunting. Welsh Baptist and Evangelical missionaries converted them to Christianity in the 1800s.
When Christian missionaries encountered the tribe in the late 19th century, they found similarities between some of their own biblical stories and the Bnei Menashe's mythology. In 1951, one of their tribal leaders reported having a dream that his people's ancient homeland was Israel, and some of the Bnei Menashe began to re-embrace the idea that they were Jews.
In the beginning they formed a kind of Christian sect.
# During the first Welsh missionary-led Christian Revivalism movement, which swept through the Mizo hills in 1906, the missionaries prohibited indigenous festivals, feasts, and traditional songs and chants. After missionaries abandoned this policy during the 1919-24 Revival, the Mizo began writing their own hymns, incorporating indigenous elements. They created a unique form of syncretic Christian worship. #
This involved falling into trances and speaking in tongues.
British Israelite type thinking as well as identifying the British as the Lost Ten Tribes also searched for them elsewhere. One of their booklets for instance identified the Japanese as Israelites. Similar trends of thought among the Welsh missionaries imparted to these Tribesmen the idea that they were descended from Israel. In World War-2 they supported the Japanese. Their status among the local peoples was not very high. Conflicts and poverty were endemic to their region and some sought avenues of escape.
A few members of the Bnei Menashe started studying and practicing Judaism in Israel in the 1970s.
An Australian woman who converted to Judaism in an Ulpan in Israel at about this time met some of them. She said that her impression was that they were desperately trying to escape the circle of poverty they had found themselves in.
In the 1980s Israeli Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail founded Amishav (Hebrew for "My People Returns"), an organization dedicated to locating descendants of the lost tribes of Israel and assisting "aliyah". He more or less adopted the "Bnei Menashe" and lobbied the Israelite authorities to accept them.
A near-clone of the "Amishav" is another organization known as "Shavei Israel" founded by the journalist Michael Freund in 2002. It too, helps the Bnei Menasseh and in many ways has superceded Amishav.
.. The total population of Manipur and Mizoram is more than 3.7 million. The Bnei Menashe are estimated by Shavei Israel to number around 10,000; close to 4,000 have emigrated to Israel.
Conversion for ulterior reasons is forbidden. Nevertheless, it happens.
Many of the young people of the Bnei Manasseh who have converted learn in Israel religious institutes. Some of them are quite religious.
No real proof exists that they were ever descended from Israelites. Even so, since they undergo conversion and seem genuine enough in this they may be considered Righteous Converts. No real proof exists that they were ever descended from Israelites. Even so, since they undergo conversion and seem genuine enough in this they may be considered Righteous Converts. We are commanded to love and respect the convert.
Deuteronomy 10:
19 You shall love the sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 22:
21 You shall not oppress a sojourner nor mistreat him, for you were sojouners in the land of Egypt.
The Bible says to distance ourselves from a false matter (Exodus 23:6). All the same, if the Beni Manashe feel compelled to consider themselves of Hebrew descent then that is their consideration.
One way or the other their case need not interfere with our understanding that the Lost Ten Tribes are primarily to be found among Western Peoples.
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(b) Israelites in the West.
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5. Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness.
Brit-Am finds the Lost Ten Tribes among Western Peoples.
The evidence of Brit-Am is derived mainly from the Bible, Rabbinical Sources, as well as Historical, Linguistic and Related Studies in addition to Contemporary Reality. We do not rely very much on whether or not the Lost Ten Tribes at present know who they are or practice Judaism. We recognize the fact that technically according to Judaism and the Bible they are non-Israelite in the religious sense. We therefore are not in conflict with the opinion that Rabbi Avigdor Miller expressed on this matter. It simply does not affect us.
Physically however many of the Gentiles in Western Countries are of Hebrew origin. They are the Ten Tribes of the Bible.
They are the ones who will be redeemed and re-unite with Judah in the future.
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6. Israel Feld. Preparation for the Messiah and Return of the Real Lost Ten Tribes.
Israel Feld is the brother of Rabbi Avraham Feld and of Rabbi David Feld. Israel by profession is an agricultural expert, a raiser of pedigree-type sheep, and an educator of children with special needs.
Israel befriended and helped Yair Davidiy at an early stage in Brit-Am history. He was one of our first supporters. Israel read the manuscript of "The Tribes," became convinced and helped us publish the first editionin 1973, and later sponsored its second printing.
Israel Feld authored a chapter in our book "Ephraim."
In ca. 1992, Israel introduced his brother, Rabbi Avraham Feld, to Brit-Am concepts. Rabbi Avraham had alreasdy com e to beleive that many "Gentile" Americans had "Jewish" sncestry and our work helped explain why. Rabbi Avraham wrote an Approbation for our work but we became more closely associated at a later stage.
Israel Feld was familiar with Rabbi Avichail of "Amishav" and with some of the Bnei Menashe. He opined that their case was a "practice run" by Divine Providence preparing the way for the 'real thing."
Israel wrote:
I have been thinking about the plan to allow the Bnei Menasha to come to Israel, convert and do so with the recognition from the Chief Rabbinate that they are indeed from the lost tribes of Israel. What could this mean as far as the actual Ten Tribes are concerned? G-d truly wants to bring redemption to the world, and the prerequisite for the ultimate redemption is the return of the Ten Lost Tribes. If the "Spirit of Adversity" and other evil forces should see that the Lost Tribes are about to be recognized they would try to hinder and stop this and do what ever they could to nullify such a thing.
On the other hand, if they see that there is recognition and acceptance of a group as being from the Ten Lost Tribes, when in fact, they have no connection with them then they will not try to interfere for they have nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of. They don't see this as being part of the Redemption.
So they allow the thing to go on.
Once the process begins then there is no way of stopping it. Once the process begins the evil forces will no longer be able to nullify it. Who began the building of the Second Temple if not a Gentile King?
The Spirit of Adversity saw who is building the Temple [Cyrus the King of Persia who initiated the building of the Second Temple] and kept silent and did not protest. G-d is using the same tactic now.
What I am writing you is all true and clear.
The expected conversion and Aliyah of the so called Bnei Menasha should fill us with joy and hope that the True Redemption is getting near and please G-d may we merit to see it soon in our days.
[For original version see]:
https://britam.org/now/547Now.html
Brit-Am Comment:
The suggestion of Israel Feld is couched in metaphysical terminology.
At a prosaic level one could suggest that world opinion and the Jewish Public would get used to the idea of the Lost Ten Tribes through the Beni Manasheh and similar cases. They would learn how to relate to it and that experience might help in the future when the Lost Ten Tribes in the west really return.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness is not really concerned with this one way or the other.
We concentrate on revealing who the Lost Ten Tribes are, spreading knowledge of it, and proving it.
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7. The Jews of Ethiopia. Not the Tribe of Dan? Renewal of the Covenant.
The idea existed that the Jews of Ethiopia are from the Tribe of Dan.
This may derive from a misunderstanding of one of the stories of Eldad Ha-Dani.
At all events, the Jews of Ethiopia never claimed to be from Dan. They, along with Ethiopians in general (many of whom once had Jewish practices), preferred the idea the idea that they were converts, former subjects of the Queen of Sheba.
An ancient colony of Jewish mercenaries in what is now Aswan in souther Egypt may have helped give rise to the Jews of Ethiopia.
At all events they kept some form of Judaism for centuries before coming in contact with Jewish Israelis.
Due to uncertainties and complications it was decided to convert them. This was actually to their advantage.
Nevertheless, some considered it unfair and discriminatory. Secular left-wing elements in Israel incited them against the Rabbinical authorities.
It was realized that though in doubtful cases one may be able declare an individual to be non-Jewish and then convert them it is not the same with a whole community. Making converts of all the Ethiopian Jews was considered demeaning.
The process was therefore changed and referred to as "Renewal of the Covenant." The Hebrews when they came out of Egypt and wandered through the Wilderness are described as Renewing the Covenant on a few occasions.
The Jews of Ethiopia are therefore required to "Renew the Covenant" which in effect is the same as conversion but by a more user-friendly name.
This solution may of use elsewhere, in the future.