Brit-Am Now
no. 1646.
11 February 2011, 7 Adar-Aleph 5772.
Movement of the Ten Tribes of Israel.
Contents: 1. New YouTube
Clip: Abarbanel.
The 14 Principles of Prophecy.avi
2. Avigdor
Replies to Criticism.The Golden Gate and Brit-Am.
3. Michelle Bowie: Aspects of Mosaic Law Existed Before Moses!
4. Brit-Am Message: Noachide
Thread Closing Down. New Policy Avoids Extraneous Controversies.
5. Noachides
and Brit-Am: Historical Considerations.
Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1509), a foremost Rabbinical Commentator on the Bible
explained that there are 14 Principles of Prophecy. They are all found in the
Book of Isaiah. Yair Davidiy, from the Brit-Am Movement of the Ten Tribes,
explains the 14 Principles and gives examples of each one.
Length 20.57 minutes.
See Also:
2. Avigdor
Replies to Criticism. The Golden Gate and Brit-Am.
Re Brit-Am Now no. 1645.
#3. A Negative Reaction to "Prove Loyalty to Your Israelite Ancestors"
and Brit-Am Reply.
http://britam.org/now2/1645Now.html#A
Dear Yair,
I appreciate the concern in focusing in on the Bible and am responding to the
query to the Noahide laws question and the Golden gate.
To set the record straight...
First .... I am not a Mason, nor have I ever been attached to them in any form.
Two.....I am not a sly person but a Jew that is embracing my roots after a life
of rebellion against the Torah... and I apply the Scriptures to my life and act
accordingly. My life is marked by hair that is quite gray now and I have never
been accused of being sly. I have been labeled as intense a number of times by
both Christians and Jews but never sly... even when I wasn't acting according to
the Torah. .
My personal opinion, and it is my opinion not Brit-Am's.... that Christians who
have freely gone before a Beit Din and proclaimed to a Jewish Court their
adherence to these 7 Divine principles is a STARTING point for reconciliation
and communication between religious Jews and Christians. My personal opinion is
that it will take a future full of Divine intervention which will bring the
groups together. Once the pride of man is broken we will see amazing things...
this is written repeatedly throughout the Bible.
I agree with Yair in that we are waiting to see if the tribes of Israel will
move even farther than this in their observance by embracing their "roots" by
observing Biblical holidays and supporting their Jewish brothers as this marks a
complete departure from [what prevailed previously] which has done much damage
to the Jewish people throughout their history. ... The Noahide laws were the
laws that the world embraced after the flood because the earth was so absolutely
evil as their were no courts administering justice, sexual promiscuity was
rampant...and people were so violent that they were eating limbs that they had
ripped off of live animals. This is happening today including the limbs off live
animals in some remote cultures and even cults here in the U.S! ...
The Hammurabi codes address these codes also...the ancient world knew where it
went terribly wrong and embraced these Laws throughout most major cultures on
earth. This is something I have studied with religious individuals in many
faiths located throughout the world that are not Christian or Jewish.
You will find that these principles do nothing that is objectionable in any way
to Christianity.
The Golden Gate...there are many references to the gate which the Messiah will
use to go in and out of the Temple once He arrives. This Golden term comes from
various writings and when in Jerusalem a couple of years ago our tour guide and
educator (Guy Noyman) referred to the eastern gate as the "golden gate".
I had no intention of misleading anyone into using the "wrong" term or to
mislead anyone. Please don't accuse us...this builds mistrust and we should be
supporting one another in this Biblical venture. My wife's family received a
free train ride out of eastern Poland during WWII and it is this accusing tone
that Jews are very, very , very sensitive to. We can see this accusation in a
persons face, their tone of voice, their writings and so forth and it doesn't
build good will which is what Brit-Am desires to do in so many ways. Jews are
very forgiving but we haven't lost the lessons administered to our people over
that last two millennium.
My only desire and hope is that the communication continue between honest
Christians and Jews is that we explore our heritage together and move closer
together over time so that we will refer to each other eventually as fellow
Israelis versus two camps at odds with each other. This separation curse has
gone on long enough in my opinion. I believe we have more in common if we will
in fact explore the Scriptures together. You will also find that part of our
Jewish liturgy is that we pray every day is for the return of Israel and to
live with one another in peace!
Supporting Brit-AM on a continual basis shows that when we are part of this
healing process and when we encourage one another and support one another with
our hard earned currency...we are putting our money where our hearts and our
minds are. Please consider this as part of your tithe to G-d.
Best Intentions as ever,
Avigdor
Brit-Am Note:
Avigdor advocates formal acceptance before a Rabbinical Legal Court of Noachide
Principles by Lost Israelites from the Ten Tribes.
As far as we know this option does not really exist but at present is
theoretical.
Even if it was possible Brit-Am would not promote it under present
circumstances.
We might consider it optional alongside other possibilities.
At all events it is not something Brit-Am is really concerned with.
3. Michelle Bowie: Aspects of Mosaic Law
Existed Before Moses!
Re Brit-Am Now no. 1645.
#3. A Negative Reaction to "Prove Loyalty to Your Israelite Ancestors"
and Brit-Am Reply.
http://britam.org/now2/1645Now.html#A
Shalom Yair,
With regard to the subject of Noahide law I find it puzzling at best, since it
is clear from the few verses below that Torah existed well before the flood. So
really...any reference to laws that Noah seemed to adhere to, really are in
essence and truth...Torah. There are 20 additional verses within Genesis that
mention commandments found in Torah after the flood but before the Exodus.
BEFORE THE FLOOD:
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he
rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it
he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit
of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat
thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
AFTER THE FLOOD:
Gen 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and
his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Gen 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean
beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Gen 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye
not eat.
Gen 9:5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of
every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every
man's brother will I require the life of man.
Gen 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the
image of God made he man.
Gen 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and
told his two brethren without.
Gen 9:23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their
shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and
their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy
seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
Gen 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a
token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Gen 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every
man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with
money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money,
must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an
everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not
circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my
covenant.
Gen 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and
entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread,
and they did eat.
Gen 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had
commanded him.
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Gen 26:10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the
people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought
guiltiness upon us.
Gen 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy
brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that
curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Gen 31:39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the
loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen
by night.
Gen 33:17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made
booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
Blessings, MBowie.
Brit-Am Reply:
This is a complicated issue. In general the Israelites came out of Egypt and
received the Torah.
Consequently one may say, in modern terms, that previous understandings were
re-negotiated.
Nachmanides said that the Law is connected with the Land of Israel. In Israel,
he says, even they who are born as Gentiles should keep the Law. The Law was
also enforced in the Land before the Giving of the Torah. This does not apply
outside the land.
See:
Nachmanides: The Connection Between Law and Land
http://britam.org/Moses/Moses-2.html
Many do not agree with him.
We find that Jacob married two sisters even though that later this was
forbidden. The father of Moses married his aunty and this too was later
prohibited.
Leviriate marriage at first could be carried out by any members of the family
including the father-in-law. [This explains the case of Judah and Tamar. The
coupling of Judah with his daughter-in-law at that time had been a valid option
all along.] Later it was restricted to only the brothers. And so on.
The Sabbath as day of rest is implied from the time of Creation. Later the
Sabbath is described as a covenant between God and the children of Israel
(Exodus 31:13-17) and a remembrance of the Coming out of Egypt (Deuteronomy
12:15). An analysis of the verses has been explained as showing that henceforth
the obligation of keeping Sabbath should be restricted to Israelites.
Circumcision was commanded to Abraham and his children. It is considered a
positive commandment for Israelites but optional for Gentiles.
Other descendants of Abraham such as Arab Ishmaelites etc according to
Maimonides should also undergo circumcision if they are certain of their
ancestry.
Our understanding is that Gentiles definitely do not have to keep the Mosaic
Law.
Concerning descendants of the Ten Tribes legally they are Gentiles but the
matter is not so simple.
We have discussed these issues at length elsewhere, over and over again, ad
nauseum.
The discussions in effect are theoretical since few of the "Ephraimites" really
intend to keep the Law as Judaism understands it.
Brit-Am encourages probable descendants of the Ten Tribes to learn the Bible and
voluntarily adopt Hebraic practices.
4. Brit-Am Message: New Brit-Am Policy Avoids
Extraneous Controversies.
Brit-Am has its Three Rs: Research, Recognition (of Research results), and
Reconciliation.
In the past we may sometimes have welcomed a bit of controversy and intellectual
free-for-all to clear the air.
This interested our audience, stirred things up, and at the time may have been
healthy.
Times have changed. We have grown and so have our subscribers.
We published most of what Avigdor said about Noachides since he had been
unfairly criticized and misrepresented.
Avigdor also had an important message for Brit-Am subscribers in general.
We also posted what Michelle Bowie said. This, to our mind, balances the issue.
Those who are interested in clarifying these points may find themselves a
Noachide forum and pursue the matter there.
There are, or should be, several Rabbis and learned experts, along with
web-sites, YouTube talks, blogs, and e-mail discussion groups dedicated to the
issue.
A Google search under "Noahides" gave us 42,200 results!
From now on we shall endeavor to stick to Brit-Am matters in a more
narrow sense though exceptions will doubtless occur.
Brit-Am is a working proposition that has been blessed in its content and
quality.
This has been especially due to the relatively high level of those subscribing
to it.
Let us keep it that way.
5. Noachides
and Brit-Am: Historical Considerations. In The History of Brit-Am
http://www.britam.org/BAhistory.html
Yair described how he had studied the Ten Tribes question and then decided to
publish his findings.
There were times in the process when we considered being content with our own
researches and not publicize them.
A factor that led us to go ahead at first with research and then with
publication was the Noachide Question.
In the 1980s and 1990s this subject was widely discussed in the Jewish
community.
There had been a period when religious Jews had engaged in very little outreach
even amongst fellow Jews. This changed
and with the change the question of a solution for non-Jews (who did not want to
become Jewish) arose.
The Lubavitch (Chabad) Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson pushed the Noachide
issue. The Rabbi said that in the past the Gentiles
had not been ready for such a message but now they were.
Yair saw that if such were the case the potential audience would most likely be
Western peoples, especially Americans. Not many Afghans or Asians were liable to
be interested though exceptions could always be found.
In other words peoples amongst whom the Ten Tribes were to be found were to be
opened up to.
Why be satisfied with a substitute?
If, as seemed likely, they were in significant numbers, descended from Israel
then this should be the message!
Other similar factors that influenced our decision included:
# Belief in Ten Tribes Origin, which at base should be considered pro-Jewish, was being
misappropriated by haters of the Jewish People.
Why leave the field to them?
# Even when not anti-Jewish it was still being closely associated with the
Christian religion. Jews (and Bible-believers in general) in principle should have just as much justification for examining the subject.
Jewish sources supported what became Brit-Am beliefs.
They deserved to be made known alongside additional information from secular
fields of study.
# The Search for the Lost Ten Tribes was not being left alone. People were
looking. They were "finding" Lost Israelites in what we considered to be the
wrong places. If a decision is to be taken to look for them, why not look where
they were really to be found?
Over the years some of these considerations may have been somewhat modified but
they remain valid.
Nowadays we would put more emphasis on an implicit Biblical Imperative to make
Brit-Am truths known.
The Brit-Am enterprise is a Biblical work. God willing, they who assist Brit-Am will be blessed.
Brit-Am depends on contributions alongside purchases of our publications.
'It is impossible to rightly govern the
world without God or the Bible.'
George Washington
Brit-Am is the "still small voice" that contains the truth.
[1-Kings 19:12] AND AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE A FIRE; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE
FIRE: AND AFTER THE FIRE A STILL SMALL VOICE.
