"Brit-Am Now"-1041
Contents:
1. New Article on the Characteristics of
Joseph
2. Nancy: Setting the Record Straight
3. Cam Rea: Inscription of
Tiglathpileser
4. Charlotte Mecklenburg: "we would all belong to Judah's stick"
5. Thomas Gray: Today there are no
Urim
and Thummim
6. Ephraimite Complaints from Leah Todd and Brit-Am Replies
Brit-Am Reply:
(a) Regarding the Land of Israel and Judah
(b) Regarding the Birthright of Ephraim.
(c) The attitude of Judah
7. Aragon: "I would do my best to keep it"
1. New Article on the Characteristics of
Joseph
Joseph in the Eyes of the "Rebbe"
http://www.britam.org/sefatemet.html
Characteristics of the Tribes
According to Rabbinical Sources.
Extract:
Joseph, Shabat, and Judah
Year 5639
Joseph represents Shabbat. Judah is the days of work. The culmination of the
days of work is the Shabbat. The completion of the work of Judah entails joining
Joseph the Righteous One who is Shabbat. At that time it will be seen and
understood that both were true as it says, THE ENVY ALSO OF EPHRAIM SHALL
DEPART, AND THE ADVERSARIES OF JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF: EPHRAIM SHALL NOT ENVY
JUDAH, AND JUDAH SHALL NOT VEX EPHRAIM [Isaiah 11:13].
Brit-Am Commentary: Judah and Joseph have separate tasks and personalities. One
prepares the other and they complement each other. In the future it will be seen
that both aspects of Israelite Existence were necessary.
2. Nancy: Setting the Record Straight
Subject: RE: "Brit-Am Now"-1040
> ###################################################
> 1. Tessa: "Ezekiel held two different sticks"
> From:
beswick
<beswick@slingshot.co.nz>
> Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-1038
> #3. What Do Ephraimites
mean when they say they keep the Law?
> it wasn't true. To then suggest that we may not
> take up what we can of Torah was to leave us out
> in the cold. Our life of faith is already quite
> difficult without having another barrier put in front of us.
Nancy Replies:
He didn't say that you couldn't take up different things here
and there. He said you are not 'obligated'. This means that
you do not HAVE to keep all of the law the way the Jews do.
If you are 'obligated', then you are required to keep the law
the way the Jews do and are liable for divine punishment for
violations or can be brought before a court of Jews and
suffer various punishments or fines if found guilty.
3. Cam Rea: Inscription of
Tiglathpileser
Shalom Mr. Davidiy, I hope all is well with you and your family.
I found another inscription that seems to deal with the Ten Tribes
being taken captive. The inscription has been restored and it is
from the reign of Tiglath-pileser III.
"Of those
Arameans
whom I despoiled, X thousand to the province
of the turtanu,
10,000 to the province of the Palace-Herald, X thousand to the
province of the Chief
Cupbearer, X thousand to the province of
Barhalzi,
5,000 to the
province of Mazamua
I
divided and settled therein. I made them of one mouth. I considered
them as inhabitants
of Assyria. I placed upon them the yoke of
Ashur
my lord, as upon
the Assyrians. The
abandoned settlements in the periphery of my land, which had gone to
ruin during the
reign of my royal ancestors, the kings of Assyria, I restored.
(Tiglath-pileser
III, 744-727"
Source:
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:l0lC0unf71wJ:sshi.stanford.edu/Conferences/1999-2000/empires/bedford.pdf+Of+those+Arameans+whom+I+despoiled&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a
4. Charlotte Mecklenburg: "we would all
belong to Judah's stick"
Re: "Brit-Am Now"-1040
Yair,
It occurred to me recently that if all of us who are outside of Judaism but know
God has designated us as his people (Joseph) were to convert to Judaism as some
of the small groups of people have done that say they are the lost tribes, then
we would all belong to Judah's stick. Because it states Judah's stick and those
associated with him. So where would be the stick of Joseph and those associated
with him. I believe there is a principle of respect and forgiveness that God
uses between families, groups and nations to reconcile differences. He wants
his family whole through forgiveness and reconciliation as they are before he
makes the changes that he intends to make. That is why Ezekiel 36 says when the
whole house of Israel is in the land then he will cleanse their hearts and the
healing will be completed.
Charlotte Mecklenburg
5. Thomas Gray: Today there are no
Urim
and Thummim
Subject: Brit-Am 1040
Tessa's remarks touched on a crucial point that I believe most Jews still don't
get. As I have learned about Judaism, I have been struck with ironic
similarities between Catholic or Orthodox Christianity and Judaism. Primarily,
Judaism has strong ties to extra-Biblical authorities as does the Catholic
Church. Even though technically the Jews would say that they do not place the
same authority in anyone that the Catholics place in the Pope, Orthodox Jews do
consider their sages to be in the seat of Moses and obey their sayings with just
about as much faithfulness as a Roman Catholic follows the Pope. Also, Judaism
adopted a lot of Aristotlian philosophy via Moses ben Maimon, just as the Roman
Catholic Church did through Thomas Aquinas. What I think that many Jews don't
get is that a large group of people who believe in Jesus or Yeshua as the
Messiah do not accept any religious authority except the written scriptures of
the Tanach and the New Testament. A corollary to this is that this is that such
feelings are even beyond the "sola scritura" of Martin Luther and other
Protestant Reformers who still looked to certain "church fathers" as
authoritative as long as scripture could be conformed to their teachings.
This is the huge irony that Tessa touched upon: Many non-Jews who have rejected
anti-Jewishness did so BECAUSE they dropped extra-Biblical authority and went
only by the literal written text. Now we are told by the Jews that the written
text is not enough. Those Jews are in effect telling us that the only thing
wrong was that we should have been following Jewish extra-Biblical authority
instead of Christian extra-Biblical authority. However, the Jews who say that
do not appreciate the alarm bells that ring in the head of a believer who took
the traumatic step of systematically throwing out all extra-Biblical authority,
at least that which does not come from a proven infallible prophet, and many do
not accept that possibility. It's like the Jews are saying: "What's wrong?
Just get the right religious authority." We say: "Religious what? I rejected
religion. I just believe the Bible." And the Jews and the Catholics and the
Protestants say: "That's impossible." And we answer: "I just did it."
Having said that, I recognize that believing the written word demands that we
recognize that in the nation of Israel, extra-Biblical authority was necessary
to explain details of the written Law. There were judges that specified
conduct. Those case histories undoubtedly were valid teaching that would
comprise a valid oral Law that would guide us in translating Hebrew phrases.
There were prophets and priests that clarified meanings. However, beyond that
is where the alarm bells go off. Are we to believe that any respected Jewish
rabbi is in the seat of Moses? Today there are no Urim and Thummim and
miraculous signs of authority like Aaron's budding rod. Neither is it a case of
simply following a judge's edict of proper behavior, but is a case of deciding
what is righteous or sinful in my personal life. So we balk. Don't be
surprised. Don't think we are stubbornly clinging to the Christian religion.
We already gave that up, sometimes at great cost.
6.
Ephraimite
Complaints from Leah Todd and Brit-Am Replies
From: Leah Todd <heathandleahtodd@yahoo.com>
In reply to Brit-Am #1038,
#2. Question on what should be done to further Reconciliation.
Brit-Am said:
<<Concerning reaching out to "Joseph"
I would say that the most important point might
be spreading the knowledge of the ancestral identity of western peoples
along with affirmation of the Jews being Judah ,
that the Jews (as being Israelites and keeping the Law) have a right
to ALL the Land of Israel since they are the forerunners in Israel of all the
Tribes.
Ephraimites
technically may not be obligated at present to keep all the
Law but they should respect the obligation of Judah to do so.
Leah says:
As Ephraim I will not affirm that Judah has a right to ALL the land of Israel .
The Almighty gave the land to the 12 Tribes, that includes Judah , I will not be
giving away the Birthright of my fathers by making such an affirmation.
As far as respecting Judah for their obligation, I have no problem with this
but I get a little tired of the constant disrespect for Ephriamites that seem to
come from those of Judah . Why is it ok for Joseph to be Noahhides (out of
covenant people) but if we want to keep the written Torah and be a covenant people we are
ridiculed?
Brit-Am Reply:
We expected such a reaction.
(a) Regarding the Land of Israel and Judah
By saying that Judah has a right to ALL the Land of Israel we meant the Land at
present
occupied by the state of Israel and we meant Judah to be taken as REPRESENTATIVE
AND A FORERUNNER OF ALL THE OTHER TRIBES.
The Land of Israel in our conceptions may be divided.
(1)There is the Heartland which is the area of the State of Israel including
that occupied by the State of Israel after 1967.
Our understanding of Prophecy (Isaiah and Hosea) is that Judah will be a
forerunner and will prepare the way for the other tribes.
For Israelites to dwell in this area may require the Keeping of the law,
and at the least no more idolatry.
At all events it does not pertain to "Joseph" until Joseph has proof of who he
is and a reconciliation with Judah has been achieved.
(2) There are the subsidiary areas including parts of Egypt,
Saudia,
the Persian Gulf,possibly Iraq, almost certainly Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, and southeast
Turkey.
All of these are Israelite Lands and should be considered part of the Land of
Israel.
According to Brit-Am Understanding Ephraim should NOW be occupied with
conquering, rehabilitating, and settling these regions. This should be a first step towards eventual reunion.
Where are the "Ephraimite
Zionists" urging the establishment of their own state in the area of Lebanon as prophesied in Zecharia
ch.10?
(b) Regarding the Birthright of Ephraim.
Leah said:
"I will not be giving away the Birthright of my fathers by making such an
affirmation."
Reply:
Perhaps we expressed ourselves inappropriately. We are not asking anyone to make
any affirmation nor to give away their birthright. We simply think that at present Joseph should
support Judah in the Land of Israel and encourage Judah to hold on to the Land and
develop it and not pressure (as at present) Judah to give it away to Arab gangsters.
This is elementary and I think you will agree with me on this point. Before talking about who is going to settle in the land let us first make sure
that we have it!
(c) The attitude of Judah
Leah mentioned:
"constant disrespect for Ephriamites that seem to come from those of Judah"
Reply:
We do not know what you are referring to.
There are however a few
Ephraimites that seem to have a
certain disrespect for Brit-Am and for the need to prove their case.
Our article on "The Two Houses" deals with this point.
http://britam.org/TwoHouse.html
Incidentally people should
use the indexes on our website more often.
http://www.britam.org/ContentsSubject.html
Many questions and
controversies that keep popping up have been spoken about at length in the past.
In other words Judah has to be convinced as to the identity of Joseph and so does Joseph have to know about it.
A few individuals running around and making demands (that at first sight seem
far-fetched) on Judah without a strong Brit-Am type rationale behind them are not likely to
get anywhere.
They may have a counter-productive effect.
Lead said:
"Why is it ok for Joseph to be Noachides (out of covenant people) but if we want to keep the written Torah and be a covenant people we are
ridiculed?"
Reply:
Becoming a Noachide
in Jewish eyes is an option open to all non-Jews.
The Brit-Am attitude is to bless those who may choose this path while not necessarily encouraging it.
We do not think it is the answer for Joseph.
We are not ridiculing anybody who adopts Torah practices just the opposite.
A non-Jew however should not decide to adopt a few practices (maybe at the same
level as a Reform Jew) and then claim that he understands and is keeping the whole Torah and knows more
about it than most Rabbis.
Again, please read our article on
"The Two Houses"
http://britam.org/TwoHouse.html
7. Aragon: "I would do my best to keep
it"
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-1038
#1. Joseph and the Law: A Challenge to Ephraimites
Brit-Am said:
-
We would like to throw
out a conceptual challenge to all Ephraimites:
If it could be proven to
your satisfaction that the Oral Law emanates from the Written Law would you keep it??
If not, why not??
Answer from Aragon:
We kept a fair amount of the law (observed the Sabbath, food laws,
tithes, festivals, etc) for a number of years. It was hard in the beginning but
I eventually began to enjoy many aspects of it. Yes, I would do my best to keep
it.
