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Brit-Am Now no. 1733.
Movement of the Ten Tribes of Israel.
15 August 2011, 15 Av 5771.
Contents:
1. Alistair Williams: Considerations Concerning Judah, Joseph, and the Lost Tribes.
2. Article Updated and Corrected. Brit-Am Research Achievements.
3. Question on Non-Israelites and Less Strict Expectations from Them.
4. TouTube Classical Israeli Jewish song about Ephraim.
5. Tonight and Tomorrow: Tu B'Av - A Festival of Israelite Tribal Reunification!
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1. Alistair Williams: Considerations Concerning Judah, Joseph, and the Lost Tribes.
Yair, Shalom.
Reading today's email I felt compelled to write.
Arnold Barkers contribution could not have put any better, the messenger brought a message for the lost sheep and commissioned individuals to bring that message.
The lost sheep do not know who they are and therefore do not know they are lost.
Your work is to help the lost sheep realise their identity, then they can begin to study the words of the messenger and begin to work things out more.
Judah has always known his identity, Joseph has not.
The parable of the prodigal son, Judah the son who did not stray remained firmly a family man, Joseph, the son who took what was his and squandered it, will come to know what he once walked away from was more precious than any of his material possessions and, having lost them all, he will come home.
But David Barlow also has a point, the basis of the Christian faith is the G-d of Israel. And therefore, whilst, Judah must remain totally committed to the task the Almighty gave him, as brothers we must reach a point in our relationship where we can have a grown up conversation
The Almighty truly has a role for Judah right now, and, many of Joseph still like the prodigal son, believe they have no need to come home, they are still enjoying their material wealth not realising its running out.
And then there are the two potential reasons why there is a growing desire to identify as belonging to Judah in Africa.
Following the years of plenty when Joseph stored food in Egypt, there followed the period of famine. Nobody knows how widespread it was, but many would have heard there was food in Egypt and, just like today, they would have walked whatever distance was necessary to get to it.
Is it not written, that under the law, Israelites were to ensure those of their household AND the sojourner in their midst were to be included in the way of life the Almighty had prescribed Israel.
Also, on Passover the night before the Exodus, the Israelites were to share the Passover lamb with the sojourners among them?
Once taught in the law, these people are regarded as Israelite by adoption.
Once the years of famine were done, these people would freely migrate back across Africa to their homelands, but once adopted by the Almighty as Israelite, the relationship may well be honoured down through their generations, and may well be being renewed now.
And, there is the more recent colonisation of much of Africa by European nations. We now know, that they are "lost sheep", they may not know who they are, but the Almighty does. Those who these nations "adopted" the Almighty may well have done so to. Whilst they may have been granted independence from the nation that colonised them, the Almighty who may well have adopted them, will not relinquish His responsibility toward them, but He will honour the relationship.
Which brings us to the London riots, an issue raised by Dafydd.
The Almighty instructed His people to hold fast to their identity and the way of life He gave them regardless of the nations they may well find themselves living in.
Judah has on the whole done this very well.
Joseph on the other hand has not. As time progresses, the nations where lost tribes are, we find are very liberal, things that the Almighty says are "abominations" in His sight have been "normalised". The Almighty gave His people instructions on how to raise a son, but we know without quoting scripture that the sons of Ephraim do as they please with no fear of consequence.
The Almighty told us what would happen if we did not live the way He prescribed, and if we did not teach it throughout our generations.
Blessings if we do, curses if we do not.
Sadly having forgotten our identity, we have to regain it, and humbly accept that the way of life the Almighty gave us, we should have held on to, the liberal way of life we have devised and proclaim to other nations is bringing us down.
Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?
What we find is, WE have changed the Almighty has not and will not.
So WE Joseph have to be prepared to change which in essence is what the word repent means.
This is the great big log that sits in the eye of Joseph, its painful to realise that you are wrong, but once you realise it and start to do something about it, real understanding starts to grow.
The time is coming when Joseph will be calling on the Almighty as we realise who we are and what we have done
Nehemiah 1:5-7
English Standard Version (ESV)
5 And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.
Those of the lost tribes do not know who they are and therefore have yet to fully understand why calamity is coming on them, but the Almighty did warn our fathers before us, and He has inspired the Bible to be there for us to consult and learn to live by.
If we loved our neighbours as commanded by the Almighty would these things have happened? No!
The law that the Israelites heard and agreed was good still stands, we or shall I say our fathers chose a different law and it was not good and has eroded our identity.
Our national leaders would laugh at us if we told them this, and that if they were to replace our laws with G-d's all would be well. The size of the log in their eye is too big for us to remove, best to concentrate on just the one in our own. That's the message for Joseph.
The message for those of Judah? Thanks for not forgetting your identity!
And thank you BritAm for not giving up.
May G-d continue to bless you.
Alistair
2. Article Updated and Corrected.
Brit-Am Research Achievements.
http://www.britam.org/BAacheive.html
has been updated, a few points added, some corrections made.
3. Question on Non-Israelites and Less Strict Expectations from Them.
Re Brit-Am Now no. 1731.
#2. Question on Natural Recognition of a God
http://britam.org/now2/1731Now.html#2
you said:
# For a Gentile to be a conventional Christian it is not considered idolatry but for a Jew it would be [Numbers 23:9]. #
You refer to Numbers 23:9.
# For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations. #
What is the connection?
Brit-Am Reply:
Suffice to say that according to most authorities a higher degree of belief in One God is required of Jews than of non-Jews.
See the Commentary "Ha-Ketav and Ha-Kabalah" to Deuteronomy 4:19 for a concise yet comprehensive discussion of this issue with sources.
Deuteronomy 4:
19:. And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
We see from the verse above as if the non-Israelite nations are more closely linked to influences from heavenly bodies than Israelites are.
Israelites when under the Law are ruled more directly by the Almighty.
Since these non-Israelites when left to themselves are naturally more influenced by other forces they are allowed more latitude in their worship of the Almighty.
cf.
Amos 3:
2? You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.?
The closer one is to the Almighty the more that is expected.
This is how we understand it. It is how most Rabbinical Commentators seem to understand it and it is consistent with the Biblical attitude.
Take it or leave it. It is not a legalistic ruling BUT it does have legal implications.
This enables Brit-Am to function as it does and helps us work towards ultimate reunification and reconciliation.
4. TouTube Classical Israeli Jewish song about Ephraim.
Jeremiah 31:
20 Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a pleasant child?
For though I spoke against him,
I earnestly remember him still;
Therefore My heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.
A. Male Renditions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7SBznfK4_g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX5QSAsjhC8&feature=related
Good male rendition - skip to middle of clip to hear it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNiun2SY0I&feature=related
Boys Singing
Haben Yakir Li - Yehuda & Yisrael Braun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGSHI6Mznxk&feature=related
B. Female or mixed.
Hebrew Song: Two Versions with Same Singer.
HaBen Yakir Li Ephraim. -Duet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O6itPrLJmk
More of the same with the female singer (Ardi Arad) -solo. and with the audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NOaPRLwN-k&feature=related
Same Song by Lina Senese (download may not succeed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=c2wh1UUKZeQ
The Tune Alone -Instrumental. and then Female Vocalist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13vfxC8dtT0&feature=related
Yael Levy Tal & Malavsky (Worth Hearing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pal8gka0wG0&feature=related
Numerous other renditions are to be found on YouTube; all of them sound good.
Words:
Hebrew
HaBen Yakir Li Ephraim
Im Yeled Shashuim
Miday dibri bo
Alternate English (Brit-Am) Translation:
Ephraim My Dear Son,
Is He a Child of Playful Delights?
Every Day I speak of him.
Literal Transliteration and Translation.
HaBen {The Son] Yakir [Dear] Li [for me] Ephraim
Im [Whether] Yeled [Child] Shashuim [of Playful Delights]
Miday [Every Day or every time] dibri [I speak] bo [of him].
5. Tonight and Tomorrow: Tu B'Av - A Festival of Israelite Tribal Reunification!
Tonight (sunset 14 August) and all daylight tomorrow (15 August) coincides with the Israel Festival of Tu B'Av i.e. the Fifteenth Day of Av.
Thios day was assopciated with the reconciliation and unification of the Tribes of Israel as explained in the extracts below.
Wikipedia: Tu B'Av
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_B'Av
Extracts:
According to the Talmud, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest. On both dates, the unmarried girls of Jerusalem would dress in white garments and go out to dance in the vineyards. (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Ta'anit 30b-31a) [3] That same section in the Talmud states that there were no holy days as happy for the Jews as Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur.[4] The holiday celebrated the wood-offering brought in the temple (see Nehemiah 10:35). Josephus refers to it as the Feast of Xylophory ("Wood-bearing").[5]
Various reasons for celebrating on Tu B'Av are cited by the Talmud and Talmudic commentators:[6]
While the Jews wandered in the desert for forty years, female orphans without brothers could only marry within their tribe, to prevent their father's inherited land in the Land of Israel from passing on to other tribes. On the fifteenth of Av of the fortieth year, this ban was lifted.
The Tribe of Benjamin was allowed to intermarry with the other tribes after the incident of the Concubine of Gibeah (see Judges chapters 19-21).
Tu B'Av-The Ancient Day of Love Returns
by
Julie A. Sergel
http://www.jewishpost.com/archives/news/tu-bav-the-ancient-day-of-love-returns.html
Extracts:
But in a clear directive towards union in marriage Tu B'Av ushered many liberties previously withheld: Intermarriage was again permitted between the 12 Israeli tribes. This was especially advantageous for daughters who inherited land from fathers where there were no sons, because they were forbidden to marry outside their respective tribes, to hold possession of the land. Additionally, the "Concubine of Giv'ah" forbade the Children of Israel to allow their daughters to marry anyone from the tribe of Benjamin. However, on Tu B'Av all such prohibitions were lifted. The merging of the tribes was cause for great rejoicing and in time, described in Tractate Ta'anit as a day devoted to betrothals, so new Jewish families would emerge.
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