"Brit-Am Now"- 497

Dec 31, 2004
Contents:
1.Sir Henry Rawlinson
2. Cyrus, Afghanistan, etc Replied to
3. Questions on Isaiah and Behavior in a Synagogue
4. Contacting the 'Sanhedrin"
5. The Tribes is now available.

1.Sir Henry Rawlinson
  Interesting article on Sir Henry Rawlinson
who first deciphered the Behistun Inscription
http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006056

2. Cyrus, Afghanistan, etc Replied to
re "Brit-Am Now"-496
item 2. Shlomo Scheinman: Notes on Cyrus
Note from Yair Davidiy:
Shalom, My reply to your previous letter was rather cursory and may
even
have been taken as somewhat impolite.
I have decided to answer your recent missive at greater length for
reasons
of duty and especially since this correspondence has become public,
and some people may need answers to those questions raised.
Your Said:
. Shlomo Scheinman: Notes on Cyrus
From: shlomo scheinman
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:02:45 +0200
>From: 600000sch <sch@600000men.com>
>Subject: cyrus
>Shalom,
>At my web site at 600000men.com I have a lot of material on judaism
that
>might be of interest to you.
>Several comments I would like to make.
>kol hator does say that cyrus is under the control of Messiah son of
Yosef.
>but it is not that cyrus is a jew rather just under the influence of
Jews
>such as the cyrus of the tanakh was.
>When we say that cyrus was the son of esther We are basicly refering
to
>darius who had an additional two names artachshasta and cyrus, This is
based
>on tractate rosh hashana daf 3 which says that darius - the king after
>achashverosh in whose time the second temple was completed after being
>started by the first cyrus- was also called cyrus and artachshasta
>the name darius in gematria rashi points out in one place in gematria
is 520
>just like cyrus.
>Harry truman when spelled hey reish yud tet reish vav mem nun also is
520
>and also george bush is also 520 in gematria
>kol hator says that an equal gematria often shows that they have a
similar
>divine task to fulfill in the world.
>coresh- cyrus is sometimes spelled in the tanakh without a vav and
sometimes
>with a vav.
>Harry truman headed the allies that defeated germany and helped aliya
>a cyrus like activity
>george bush in his time the soviets fell and the great  aliya from
russia to
>Israel started
>George W=vav Bush is fighting the arab world and maybe more good
things will
>happen in his time
>One should also stress that chazal stress that at the end cyrus went
sour
>after his initial help of the jews
>and that is somewhat true also of the modern cyruses
>
>I believe that the biological descendents of the ten tribes are mostly
in
>Afghanistan [and Pakistan and in other countries nearby] as the
tifferet
>yisrael on sanhedrin states and as pointed out at length by rabbi
Eliyahu
>Avichail who wrote extensively on the subject.
>I have more to say but too many details might spoil the letter
>best wishes
>shlomo scheinman

We answered:
Reply:
Thank you for your letter. I have looked at your site and found it
interesting.
The Tiferet Yisrael was wrong and so is Avichail and his crew, Sorry.

We now answer further:
Your note on Cyrus is interesting. Apparently it is in response to our
own
notes
on this Persian Monarch as given in our Commentary on the Book of
Isaiah and
in our list of Biblical Proofs and at length in our book, "Joseph. The
Israelite destiny of America".
Your implied intention appears to be to negate the Brit-Am position
but you do not say so expressly.
You do not nullify our proof based on Cyrus but rather extend it to
other
possibilities.
We will return to "Cyrus" but first concerning  "Afghanistan [and
Pakistan"
there are no lost tribes there but rather jew-haters and Islamic
maniacs.
The "Tiferat Yisrael" was not inspired but rather was relying on
reports
extant in his day
that may have had some substance in the distant past but since then
were no
longer valid.
We have spoken on this matter in the past several times on our list
and additional information may be found in our archives.
In our book "The Tribes", it reports:

<<According to local tradition the eastern part of Hara ("Ghor"), where
the
Hari River rises, was once settled by a people referred to as "Assakan"
and
"Bnei Yisral" or Children of Israel20. "Assakan" was shortened to "Sak"
or
"Sok" and local Muslim lore equated the term with the name "Isaac",
father
of Israel21. A dialectical variation of "Assakan" is Afghan22 and the
names
"Bnei Yisral" and "Afghan" were applied later to a group from Armenia
who
settled in the area after the original "Bnei Yisral" and "Assakan" had
moved out23. The newcomers eventually moved further east into modern
Afghanistan. They did not apply the names "Afghan" and "Bnei Yisral"
unto
themselves until fairly recently and then only within a few literary
circles24. Some Israelite and/or Jewish elements may have been absorbed
amongst one or two of the various "Afghan" groups and these in turn
influenced the whole. The Royal family, for instance, had a tradition
that
they descended from the Tribe of Benjamin25. Even so, most Afghans
never
seem to have identified themselves as Israelites and are antipathetic
to
the very ideaÌ. They are the first to admit that the names "Afghan" and
"Bnei Yisral" were first applied to them by foreigners26. By their own
admission they received these names from other peoples. They themselves
say
that they received the names due to the original holders of these names
having moved out of the area that they came to occupy. The existence of
these names is evidence that a section of the Israelite nation had once
been in that area. The original dwellers are apparently to be
identified
with the historical "Sok" or "Sakae" (meaning Scythians) who were in
the
Hara region at least from around 600 BCE 27 or earlier. They had been
settled there by the Assyrians, and had a tradition that King Solomon
of
Israel had once ruled over them28. From the Saka descend the
Anglo-Saxon
invaders of Britain.>>

<<Ì The Afghans also had traditions that they were descended from Esau
the
brother of Jacob. In their eyes this made them kindred of the Romans
and
Byzantines. Another tradition said that they were descended from the
Koresh
tribe in Arabia and thus related to Mohammed. They had additional
traditions of like nature. Other peoples in Afghanistan (unrelated to
the
Afghans or Pathans) also claim descent from Israel. There had once been
a
sect in the region that adopted Jewish customs. Later members of this
sect
and/or genuine Jews of the region had been forced to become Muslims.
They
retained some of their customs and traditions that were in turn adopted
by
some of their neighbors. These phenomena of adopting the names of other
tribes and the customs and traditions of neighboring peoples are
frequent
patterns in the history of Central Asia and of Eurasia in general.>>

Back to Cyrus:
a. First of all the point concerning Cyrus is one out of more than a
hundred Biblical Proofs
that we insist should be considered as one complementary body of
evidence.
None of the proofs can be taken in isolation.
b. I suspect you may not have actually read what we DID write about
Cyrus
carefully enough.
There are many "faces" to the Torah and one interpretation does not
necessarily negate the possibility of  another being equally valid.

The Brit-Am Interpretation of the Cyrus passages as referring PRIMARILY
to
Israel is the MOST CONSISTENT
with that of the Talmudic Sages, as shown below. You may well disagree
with
the Sages but if you do then you are
being inconsistent with the ideology you profess to hold by.

Here is an extract from our interpretation:
[Isaiah 44:28] THAT SAITH OF CYRUS, HE IS MY SHEPHERD, AND SHALL
PERFORM
ALL MY PLEASURE: EVEN SAYING TO JERUSALEM, THOU SHALT BE BUILT; AND TO
THE
TEMPLE, THY FOUNDATION SHALL BE LAID.
Cyrus the King of Persia who enabled the Jews to return from their
Babylonian Exile. Isaiah prophesied of him about 60 years prior to his
existence. Josephus says that Cyrus saw his name written in the Book of
Isaiah and so fulfilled the Prophecy. Isaiah was prophesying both
concerning his own time and the period immediately after and also for
the
Last Days. IN a way Cyrus represents the Lost Ten Tribes as we will
see.  Cyrus may have been descended from the Lost Ten Tribes. He
belonged
to the Pasargadae clan who ruled Persia. Pasargadae in
Perisianised-Aramaic
could mean “Sons of Gad”.
President Truman who assisted the Jews in creating the present State of
Israel once declared to a visiting delegation, “I am Cyrus”.
Cyrus is also recalled in the first verse of the next chapter (ch.45):
see
there.

Isaiah-45
[Isaiah 45:1] THUS SAITH THE LORD TO HIS ANOINTED, TO CYRUS, WHOSE
RIGHT
HAND I HAVE HOLDEN, TO SUBDUE NATIONS BEFORE HIM; AND I WILL LOOSE THE
LOINS OF KINGS, TO OPEN BEFORE HIM THE TWO LEAVED GATES; AND THE GATES
SHALL NOT BE SHUT;

Adapted from “Joseph” chapter eight. Explains Isaiah 45:1 and Isaiah
45:14:

   CYRUS

The Prophet Isaiah had already predicted that a ruler named Cyrus would
be
the one to free the exiles. Cyrus was recalled by NAME in Isaiah 44:28,
"To
his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held..." and in the
next
verse, 45:1, "That says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd...”
Both traditional and modern commentators usually understand Isaiah
chapter
45 to be referring to Cyrus the King of Persia. Cyrus was the King of
Persia who conquered Babylon and enabled the Jews to return to Judea
and
rebuild the Temple.
Isaiah prophesied about 100 years before Cyrus. Josephus relates that
CYRUS
was shown his name written in the Prophecy of Isaiah and this is what
led
him to allow the Jews to return. Not only did Cyrus conquer Babylon and
help the Jews return to their land, he also conquered Egypt and ruled
over
Nubia south of Egypt. Nubia was known as Cush. Cyrus also ruled over
regions to the west of India and parts of Pakistan-India itself. The
following verse in Isaiah can therefore be applied perhaps to Cyrus:

  "THUS SAYS THE LORD, THE LABOR OF EGYPT, AND MERCHANDISE OF ETHIOPIA
[in
Hebrew: “CUSH”], AND OF THE SABAEANS, MEN OF STATURE, SHALL COME OVER
UNTO
YOU, AND THEY SHALL BE YOURS: THEY SHALL COME AFTER YOU; IN CHAINS THEY
SHALL COME OVER, AND THEY SHALL FALL DOWN UNTO YOU, THEY SHALL MAKE
SUPPLICATION UNTO YOU, SAYING, SURELY GOD IS IN YOU; AND THERE IS NO
ELSE,
THERE IS NO OTHER GOD" (Isaiah 45:14).

We, however, believe this verse is not addressed primarily to Cyrus but
to
the Ten Tribes in Exile. Some proof of this has already been indicated:
Concerning the idea of Cyrus, the following points should be noted:

There is a principle that Prophecies that were written down, even when
they
were fulfilled shortly afterwards, will have a larger application in a
later period especially towards the Latter Days. The Prophecies are
usually
designed to accord to some degree with contemporary events or with
things
that would occur shortly after. The main gist of the Prophecies however
was
for the Latter Days. Even the Commentators who apply all of the chapter
to
Cyrus have to admit that it does not exactly fit in key details. It
must
have a wider application.

Even in the verses where the name CYRUS is expressly mentioned, the
sages
understood the verse as applying to Cyrus only in a PARTIAL SENSE: For
example,
"The Holy One, Blessed He, said to the Anointed-Messiah, I have a
complaint
against Cyrus, I said he will build my House and gather in my exiles
but he
went and said, Whoever amongst my people wants to go up can do so [and
build the House themselves]..." (Megilla 12; Rashi), i.e. the
expression in
the verse Isaiah 45;1: "...to his anointed, to Cyrus," was understood
as
applying to two different people, to the Anointed-Messiah and to Cyrus!
Alternately the verse was formulated in deliberately ambiguous language
giving Cyrus the potential if he so wanted to have done more than he
actually did!
             The Commentary Daat Sofrim (Isaiah 45): <<For the address
to
Cyrus was not "To Cyrus his Anointed-Messiah" but rather it was said,
"To
his Anointed-Messiah, [and] to Cyrus," as if to two different
entities.>>
The whole of this Prophecy of Isaiah is arranged in an oracular style
of
mainly short paragraphs with no necessary strong connection between
them.
The expression concerning "LABOR OF EGYPT, AND MERCHANDISE OF ETHIOPIA
[in
Hebrew, CUSH], AND OF THE SABAEANS" is not necessarily connected to the
preceding verses concerning Cyrus. The following verses return to speak
only of Israel. The verse itself speaks of an ultimate acknowledgement
of
the God of Israel by the captives. This could only apply to Israel.
Israel
is discussed before Cyrus is spoken of, and afterwards Israel is again
mentioned. In Isaiah 43:3 it says "FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, THE HOLY
ONE
OF ISRAEL, YOUR SAVIOR, I GAVE EGYPT FOR YOUR ATONEMENT, ETHIOPIA
[Hebrew:
“CUSH”] AND SEBA UNDERNEATH YOU." Here Egypt, Cush, Seba are linked
with
Israel and can be understood in the Hebrew as being placed under
Israel's
subjection!!!
A simple reading of Isaiah chapter 45 does not leave much room for
Cyrus,
the emphasis is on Israel.
In addition to the above we have the tradition that "Cyrus" in the
Prphecy
of Isaiah was meant to represent a kind of prototype
of the future Messiah son of Joseph or of a process connected with the
Messiah son of Joseph
whom additional sources link to the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.

3. Questions on Isaiah and Behavior in a Synagogue

>Dear Yair
>
>I came across this scripture today, Isaiah 11:11, which reads like a
>detailed account of where the tribes went and/or where they'll be
gathered
>from, and I wondered where it fits into your research. It mentions a
>remnant and also places like Egypt and Assyria, Pathros and Cush, Elam
and
>Shinar - where are these places now?
>
>Also, do you have any counsel for a leader of a shul or a
congregation,
>when this issue arises and people come claiming they are Jews and so
want
>to 'return' to Israel and/or want to do this this and that etc on the
>basis of their new found identity (it can be a bit disturbing and
>unsettling for leaders as it appears to come from so far left field
and
>they really don't know what to do with it!)
>
>Keep up the struggle and G-d bless,
>
>J

Shalom,
(a) Regarding your query on Isaiah 11:11
See our commentary to Isaiah in which we suggest answers to your
question.
http://britam.org/isaiah/isaiah.html
(b) Concerning "counsel for a leader of a shul or a congregation, when
this
issue arises".
This type of question is actually usually asked by people outside of
Brit-Am. In fact it appears to
be more typical of Messianic type Christians than of Brit-Am Identity
believers.
The Law belongs to Judah. The Bible and other sources indicate that in
the
future the Ten Tribes will return to the Law
but for the moment they have not done so and are not so obliged.
You can think what you like within your own domain but when you enter
the
domain of others
you have to respect how they define themselves.
In other words if  someone who is halachically non-Jewish enters a
synagogue they must behave
as a guest and accept the decision of the owners in the same way as a
stranger entering their own home
would be expected to respect their own decisions.

4. Contacting the 'Sanhedrin"
Question:
>Yair, have you contacted the newly forming Sanhedrin and re-laid
Brit-Am
>information too them. Do you have any means of speaking to these
>influential holy men?

Answer:
The identity of these 70 men has proven difficult to clarify but we
intend
to send a copy of our Hebrew book, "Achim Acharim" to each of them.
We are engaged in similar projects of spreading the Brit-Am message.
All this requires energy and finance. We would appreciate assistance to
make our efforts along these and related lines a little easier.

5. The Tribes is now available.
"The Tribes. The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples", 3rd edition is
now
available.
Please take advantage of this opportunity for your own sakes and
incidentally
be helping us.
God bless you all
Yair Davidiy

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:
All prices include postage by  air-mail.

Just Printed:
"THE TRIBES. The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples" (3rd edition)
Book is a Classic. ca 592 pages including 48 maps and 44 illustrations.
Vital information in a highly readable text. Special introductory price
only $30.

Also  AVAILABLE :
"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
  magazine BRIT-AM Truth
Any two  of the above four books plus an issue of the magazine for $30
All four books plus an issue of the magazine for $50

Magazine "Brit-Am Truth" usual price $15 one issue
5 issues $40
12 issues $80
20 issues for $120

Upon subscribing (for five issues or more) you will receive an official
membership certificate
with the Brit-Am symbol in colors of  red,  white, and blue.
The prices include postage by  air-mail.
Send a personal check to the address below:

Yair Davidiy
POB 595
Jerusalem 91004
Israel

http://www.britam.org
http://www.geocities.com/hiberi
"And I will bless them that bless you" (Genesis 12:15).

PayPal
http://www.britam.org/order.html

NOW INDEX