"Brit-Am Now"- 430
Contents:
1. Coming to Israel
2. The Tribe of Levi
3. Brit-Am Annual Major Meeting
4. Question on the Star of David
5. Bible Sources Site
6. The Hebrews word "sin", god, good?
7. Brit-Am is in need of funds
1. Coming to Israel
Brit-Am encourages people to come to Israel as tourists and also to contact
us when they do especially if they are sympathizers of ours.
As for living in Israel this is usually quite difficult and the time is not
right for such steps to be considered on a large scale.
We say this now because recent rumors speak of cult like groups wanting to
come to Israel or to Jordan OR on the other hand speaking against coming to Israel altogether.
Be careful.
In our opinion any group or individual that concerns itself with the identity of Joseph and does
not give recognition to Brit-Am is not serious.
2. The Tribe of Levi
Our recent posting "The Tribes. ch.17, Levi" was originally part of the
chapter on Simeon. Even though the subject
only received a few pages we decided to give it a chapter of its own.
The following message was just received by us and the timing appears opportune.
From: "Root & Branch Association, Ltd." <rb@rb.org.il>
Subject: THE HUMAN SOUL: LEVITES AND KOHANIM by Yosef HaKohen
Very Slightly Adapted:
LIBERATED YERUSHALIYIM, D.C. (David's Capital), Liberated Israelite Tribal
Territories of Yehudah and Binyamin ("Israeli-Occupied West Bank"), Kingdom
of David and Shlomo, United Israelite Kingdom of Yehudah and Yosef, Yom
Sheini (Second Day -- "Monday"), 15 Av, 5764, (Gregorian Date: August 2,
2004), (Hijri Date: 15 Jumad Thani, 1425), Root & Branch Information
Services [mailto:rb@rb.org.il] [www.rb.org.il]:
Dear Friends,
Levites (members of the Tribe of Levi) are assigned a role in the Temple
service. One branch of this tribe is known as "Kohanim" (descendants of
Aharon who are given a special and major role in the Temple service). A
goal of the Temple service is to inspire each person to dedicate the
physical drives [nefesh] and the ego drives [ruach] to the altruistic and
spiritual goal of the neshamah (higher soul). The entire tribe of Levi is
also given the responsibility to explain the Divine laws and teachings to
the people, as in the blessings that Moses gave to the tribes, he spoke the
following words regarding the role of the Levites: "They shall teach Your
laws to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel" [Devarim/Deuteronomy 33:10].
Levites -- including the special branch of Kohanim -- are to serve as
ministers and teachers to the people. Thus, unlike the other tribes, the
Tribe of Levi was not given a portion in the Land, and the people are to
support the Kohanim and the regular Levites through various tithes. In
addition, the regular Levites and the Kohanim were given their own cities
which are to serve as spiritual and educational centers for the nation.
In these cities, writes Maimonides, they are to teach the people "His
righteous statutes and just social laws". Maimonides explains that the
reason they were set aside from the affairs of the world and were not given
a portion in the Land is because they are the special legion of the
Compassionate One. As a result, the Compassionate One will provide for
their needs, as Moses stated regarding Levi, "Bless O Compassionate One,
his resources" [Devarim/Deuteronomy 33:11]. Moreover, the Compassionate
One claims title to them, as He said, "I am your portion and your
inheritance" [Bamidbar/Numbers 18:20].
Maimonides adds that one does not have to be a member of the Tribe of Levi
in order to become the portion of the
Compassionate One. This teaching, states Maimonides, can apply to any
human being:
Not only those from the Tribe of Levi, but every human being
throughout the world whose spirit has made him willing, and whose intellect
has guided him, to set himself apart before the Compassionate One, to
minister unto Him and to serve Him with the purpose of knowing the
Compassionate One -- to walk honestly as the Just One created him to do and
to remove from himself the yoke of the many earthly affairs that human
beings pursue. Such a person is sanctified and is the holy of holies! The
Compassionate One becomes his portion and his inheritance for all eternity,
and will grant him in this world whatever will suffice for his needs, even
as He has done for the Kohanim and the Levites. Thus David, peace be upon
him, said, "The Compassionate One is my allotted portion and my share, You
guide my destiny" [Tehillim/Psalm 16:5].
[Mishneh Torah, the Laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years 13:12-13]
Shavua Tov from Liberated Yerushaliyim,
Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen
Note:
The Talmud teaches that one who begins to purify himself will merit
Heavenly assistance [Babylonian Talmud/Tractate Shabbas 104a, Yuma
39a]. According to the above teaching of Maimonides, if one decides to
emulate the Levites and dedicate one's entire life to the study and
fulfillment of the Divine path, then one will merit special Divine
assistance with regard to one's material needs. Although there is no
official tithe for such a person, the Compassionate One will find various
ways to assist him. For example, the One Who sustains all life may give a
special blessing to one's livelihood or business so that one will not have
to work day and night in order to earn what one needs in order to live.
3. Brit-Am Annual Major Meeting
At Succoth in the Mount Zion Hotel, Jerusalem as Part of Rick Richardon' s CRMI program
http://www.shalom-crmi.org/Sukkot/speak2004.htm
Monday 10/04 Rabbi Avraham Feld will speak at 9:00am
Then at 7:30pm Yair Davidiy will speak followed by the Brit Am meeting at which Rabbi Feld and other members of
Brit-Am in Israel will be present. ALL who wish to attend are welcome to come and even urged to do so if the subject of Brit-Am
means something to them.
We will be speaking in the lecture hall of the hotel, there should be signs in the lobby,
but in case there are not ask the hotel staff for the whereabouts of Rick Richardson's group.
4. Question on the Star of David
>I have been told by Jews that The Star/Shield of David is actually a pagan
>symbol ... and called "The Seal of Solomon." And, that it has NO
>legitimate history in Yehudah anyway, being popularized fairly recently.
>Should not "The House of Yehudah" remove this pagan "Star" from its
>identity? just as "The House of Israel" should remove the pagan "Cross"
>from its identity?
>Both should unite under one flag. Yehudah should replace "The Seal of
>Solomon" with "The Menorah" on its flag. Thats a flag that I could
>identify with.
> Sincerely, Shepherd, TP
Answer:
Shalom,
This question has come up several times on this list.
I understand that the so-called "star of Solomon"
is actually five sided.
The Star of David in Hebrew is called "Magen David" meaning "Shield of David"
and is not necessarily representative of a star.
Someone on the internet (I lost the source so cannot give credit) once
suggested that the
Star of David is actually a combination of two "Daleths" D-letters) in Old
Hebrew and was a
kind of symbolic way of presenting the name David.
I do not know if such was actually the case but the idea makes sense.
In "The Tribes" we proposed that the shape of the Star of David (which has
6 points
and 6 points of intersection, i.e. 12 altogether) conformed with the way
the Tribes were
encamped around the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. We are not sure if we are
correct on this matter
but it fits the description given in the Bible quite well.
Was it ever a pagan symbol?
A lot of people claim it was but none of them so far have provided me with
any references to back them up.
Even if it was, how far can simple geometrical patterns become the
exclusive property of pagans
just because pagans also use them in a symbolic manner?
Rabbinical understanding of the commandment against using pagan
appurtenances etc says that it holds
ONLY as long as the pagans themselves attribute significance to the said
object.
This ruling is probably derived from Biblical passages and if I come across
the source I will take note of it.
No pagan religion today attaches any significance to the Star of David and
personally I doubt if any ever did in the past.
The Star of David is a common geometric symbol found in many cultures and
could be ascribed significance by different groups for all kinds of reasons
but this in itself should not necessary disqualify it.
The northern kingdom of Israel apparently used a kind of rosette as a
symbol of royalty and so did other ancient cultures in the area.
An Assyrian illustration appears to use such a symbol as representative of
of northern Israel.
The Magen David could have developed from this.
David El Roi a Jewish leader in Kurdistan allegedly adopted the 'Star of
David" as his symbol and it spread from there to other Jewish communities.
1160 DAVID ALROY - FALSE MESSIAH (Persia)
Promised to lead the Jews and take Jerusalem from the Crusaders. One
evening he told the Jews of Baghdad that they were all going to fly to
Jerusalem that night and asked them to give him their property. That night
much of the Jewish population stood on their roofs waiting to fly. Alroy
was killed, according to Benjamin of Tudela, after one "successful" battle,
by his father-in-law, who was allegedly bribed and threatened by the
governor of Amaida. Alroy's followers called themselves Menahemites and
continued to live in the Adzer Bedjan area. They eventually faded out of
existence. Disraeli's novel Alroy (1833) became a well-known, if
fictionalized, version of his life.
http://www.davidsconsultants.com%2Fjewishhistory%2Fhistory.php%253Fid%253D3423
The Christians in the Middle Ages forced the Jews to wear the symbol to
distinguish them from their Gentile neighbors
and the Jews later adopted it as "Jewish".
We suggested in "The Tribes" that the Magen David represented the order and
formation of the 12 tribes of Israel around the Tabernacle and this
suggestion fits the description given (in Numbers) quite well.
We adopted the Magen David in blue and red intersecting colors on a white
background as a Brit-Am symbol (see the symbol on the spine of our books) since this
recalls Judah and the State of Israel and is also reminiscent of the Union Jack and even of the
US flag.
Red blue and white were the dominant colors in the Tabernacle They are Israelite colors.
5. Bible Sources Site
A bible reference website with links to online reference material
for the dead sea scrolls, philo, josephus, etc. exists at
http://www.dreamwater.org/bccox/
The site contains references especially useful for Old Testament and related historical studies.
[this source has been changed by webmaster]
6. The Hebrews word "sin", god, good?
In Hebrew there is the word "zon" or "zoneh" from the rot "znh" usally used
in the context of sexual promiscuity but more strictly meaning to depart from the
correct path.
In Old Germanic all "z" letters were replaced by "sin".
"zin" (or "sin") would be an acceptable constuct from "znh".
The English word "Sin" (like many English words) could be derived from the
Hebrew.
The English words "god" "good" derive from the Hebrew root "GDD" which gives
"gedud" "gedi" and "gad" (god).
Gdd denotes to cut up or "geda" cut down. It came to denote a small piece.
The coriander plant was called "gad" probably because it has small
seeds. A kid goat or sheep was called a "gedi" and this could be the origin
of the English word "kid".
It could also mean a group that was set aside for a special purpose
and so came to mean a troop (gedud).
[Genesis 30:11] AND LEAH SAID, A TROOP COMETH: AND SHE CALLED HIS NAME GAD.
The Radak (Safer HaShorashim) says that Leah used a play on words saying
that a whole troop of children
was being born and that this signified good luck.
In Hebrew the vowels change according to the use of the word. Also
different dialects
expressed the vowels differently. Fro practical purposes "gad" "god" "good"
may be all
considered as derived directly from the one root.
It also came to denote something special, set aside, "cut out".
From this it came to mean "good luck" or something good in general.
It also came to connote a deity.
It could mean deity in general like the English word "god".
Alternately there was also a pagan deity named "gad".
[Isaiah 65:11] BUT YE ARE THEY THAT FORSAKE THE LORD, THAT FORGET MY HOLY
MOUNTAIN, THAT PREPARE A TABLE FOR THAT TROOP, AND THAT FURNISH THE DRINK
OFFERING UNTO THAT NUMBER.
"THAT FORGET MY HOLY MOUNTAIN" i.e. Israelites who abandoned the Temple in
Jerusalem and everything connected with it.
"PREPARE A TABLE FOR THAT TROOP": The word translated as "Troop" is Gad.
Gad was the name of an Israelite Tribe. It also can mean "luck". It can
also connote a particular pagan deity. The Medieval Commentator Radak
(Kimchi) quotes ("Safer HaShorashim") another authority (Rabbi Moshe Cohen)
as saying that "Gad" was the name given by the Arabs to the planet Jupiter.
Gad could be pronouncedas "God" and is the source of the word "god" in
English.
AND THAT FURNISH THE DRINK OFFERING UNTO THAT NUMBER.
"NUMBER": in Hebrew "Mani" which was also the name of a god, i.e. they were
preparing a table for the god "Gad" and drink for the god "Mani".
Cf. Alexander Hislop, "The Two Babylons", chapter three:
<<The name of the Lord Moon in the East seems to have been Meni, for this
appears the most natural interpretation of the Divine statement in Isaiah
lxv. 11, "But ye are they that forsake my holy mountain, that prepare a
temple for Gad, and that furnish the drink-offering unto Meni." There is
reason to believe that Gad refers to the sun-god, and that Meni in like
manner designates the moon-divinity.>>
Even though it was a name applied to a pagan god we can still use the
English word "God" for the Almighty
since it seems that in Hebrew the word also could be used to suggest the
Supreme Power
and its pagan usage was an incidental application.
7. Brit-Am is in need of funds.
We have difficulty at the moment in functioning.
We may succeed in the near future in republishing The Tribes
and this may help our situation. And eventually we may succeed in expanding
significantly as we could do very quickly in the right circumstance.
At all events at the moment things are quite precarious
and any offerings or in creased purchases would be of great help.
Spreading the Brit-Am message is our task.
We do this full time and God willing will continue to do so
as long as necessary.
Your purchases and offerings enable us to work for our peoples.
If possible please send us an offering along with an order for our
publications.
Books offered:
"Origin. You too are from Israel! You too are the People"
[A Summary of Most of the Major Biblical and Historical Research
Until Now]
"Biblical Truth. The Lost Ten Tribes in the West "
"Ephraim. The Gentile Children of Israel"
"Joseph. The Israelite Destiny of America",
PLUS a sample issue of our
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Any two books plus an issue of the magazine for $30
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