"Brit-Am Now"-218: Vindication
March 24, 2003
Brit-Am Findings Vindicated by Rabbinical Work
[Genesis 48:8] AND ISRAEL BEHELD JOSEPH'S SONS, AND SAID, WHO ARE
THESE?
[Genesis 48:9] AND JOSEPH SAID UNTO HIS FATHER, THEY ARE MY SONS, WHOM GOD
HATH GIVEN ME IN THIS PLACE. AND HE SAID, BRING THEM, I PRAY THEE, UNTO
ME, AND I WILL BLESS THEM.
[Genesis 48:10] NOW THE EYES OF ISRAEL WERE DIM FOR AGE, SO THAT HE COULD
NOT SEE. AND HE BROUGHT THEM NEAR UNTO HIM; AND HE KISSED THEM, AND
EMBRACED THEM.
[Genesis 48:11] AND ISRAEL SAID UNTO JOSEPH, I HAD NOT THOUGHT TO SEE THY
FACE: AND, LO, GOD HATH SHEWED ME ALSO THY SEED.
[Genesis 48:12] AND JOSEPH BROUGHT THEM OUT FROM BETWEEN HIS KNEES, AND HE
BOWED HIMSELF WITH HIS FACE TO THE EARTH.
[Genesis 48:13] AND JOSEPH TOOK THEM BOTH, EPHRAIM IN HIS RIGHT HAND TOWARD
ISRAEL'S LEFT HAND, AND MANASSEH IN HIS LEFT HAND TOWARD ISRAEL'S RIGHT
HAND, AND BROUGHT THEM NEAR UNTO HIM.
[Genesis 48:14] AND ISRAEL STRETCHED OUT HIS RIGHT HAND, AND LAID IT UPON
EPHRAIM'S HEAD, WHO WAS THE YOUNGER, AND HIS LEFT HAND UPON MANASSEH'S
HEAD, GUIDING HIS HAND WITTINGLY; FOR MANASSEH WAS THE
FIRSTBORN.
[Genesis 48:15] AND HE BLESSED JOSEPH, AND SAID, GOD, BEFORE WHOM MY
FATHERS ABRAHAM AND ISAAC DID WALK, THE GOD WHICH FED ME ALL MY LIFE LONG
UNTO THIS DAY,
[Genesis 48:16] THE ANGEL WHICH REDEEMED ME FROM ALL EVIL, BLESS THE LADS;
AND LET MY NAME BE NAMED ON THEM, AND THE NAME OF MY FATHERS ABRAHAM AND
ISAAC; AND LET THEM GROW INTO A MULTITUDE IN THE MIDST OF THE
EARTH.
[Genesis 48:17] AND WHEN JOSEPH SAW THAT HIS FATHER LAID HIS RIGHT HAND
UPON THE HEAD OF EPHRAIM, IT DISPLEASED HIM: AND HE HELD UP HIS FATHER'S
HAND, TO REMOVE IT FROM EPHRAIM'S HEAD UNTO MANASSEH'S
HEAD.
[Genesis 48:18] AND JOSEPH SAID UNTO HIS FATHER, NOT SO, MY FATHER: FOR
THIS IS THE FIRSTBORN; PUT THY RIGHT HAND UPON HIS HEAD.
[Genesis 48:19] AND HIS FATHER REFUSED, AND SAID, I KNOW IT, MY SON, I KNOW
IT: HE ALSO SHALL BECOME A PEOPLE, AND HE ALSO SHALL BE GREAT: BUT TRULY
HIS YOUNGER BROTHER SHALL BE GREATER THAN HE, AND HIS SEED SHALL BECOME A
MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.
[Genesis 48:20] AND HE BLESSED THEM THAT DAY, SAYING, IN THEE SHALL ISRAEL
BLESS, SAYING, GOD MAKE THEE AS EPHRAIM AND AS MANASSEH: AND HE SET EPHRAIM
BEFORE MANASSEH.
[Genesis 48:21] AND ISRAEL SAID UNTO JOSEPH, BEHOLD, I DIE: BUT GOD SHALL
BE WITH YOU, AND BRING YOU AGAIN UNTO THE LAND OF YOUR
FATHERS.
Not so long ago we mentioned a new work (in Hebrew) concerning
the Tribes of Israel, Fishel Mael, "Safer Shivtei Yisroel", Baltimore, USA,
5757. This book bases itself on rabbinical sources and describes attributes
of the various tribes. The author also inserts his own insights. The author
and the authorities quoted (usually from several centuries back) were
almost certainly not aware of Brit-Am beliefs and merely intended to
understand Biblical references to the Tribes as the Bible intended. This is
more the better for us since the conclusions amplify understandings we had
reached based on the simple Hebrew script and/or other commentaries.
The Brit-Am understanding is that: Concerning the USA,
Britain, and her daughters: These nations contain elements of all the
Israelite Tribes, of Edom, and of other peoples. On the whole they are
dominated by Joseph. The Tribe of Ephraim may well be numerically superior
throughout all these peoples but as far as national characteristics are
concerned the USA is Manasseh while Britain, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand are influenced more by Ephraim.
In our book Joseph, p.193, we said:
<<Even though Ephraim was the younger he did receive the effectual
birthright. The blessing of Jacob could be understood to suggest that
Ephraim would be first to become great and Manasseh follow after. In the
blessing of Jacob it says concerning Menasseh he too will be great But his
brother will be greater than him.
[GENESIS 48:19] AND HIS FATHER REFUSED, AND SAID, I KNOW IT, MY SON, I KNOW
IT: HE ALSO SHALL BECOME A PEOPLE, AND HE ALSO SHALL BE GREAT: BUT TRULY
HIS YOUNGER BROTHER SHALL BE GREATER THAN HE, AND HIS SEED SHALL BECOME A
MULTITUDE OF NATIONS. A MULTITUDE OF NATIONSin Hebrew is Maloa ha-Goyim,
literally fullness of the peoplesmeaning rule over nations or determine the
very existence of other nations. [GENESIS 48:20] AND HE BLESSED THEM THAT
DAY, SAYING, IN THEE SHALL ISRAEL BLESS, SAYING, GOD MAKE THEE AS EPHRAIM
AND AS MANASSEH: AND HE SET EPHRAIM BEFORE MANASSEH. Concerning Menasseh
Jacob had said: HE ALSO SHALL BECOME A PEOPLE, AND HE ALSO SHALL BE GREAT:
BUT TRULY HIS YOUNGER BROTHER SHALL BE GREATER THAN HE.This is ambiguous
but it could be understood to imply that Menasseh would ALSO become great
after Ephraim and that Ephraim's greatness in its own time was the greater
of the two. The verse can be seen as indicating that despite the fact that
Ephraim was the younger son Ephraim would be great FIRST OF ALL then
Menasseh ALSO would be great but not as great as Ephraim had been.>>
On this point Fishel Mael brings an additional source saying the same thing
from another point of view:
About 200 years ago a Rabbinical book of spiritual contemplations on the
Bible, "Bnei Yissachar" commented on the blessing of Jacob to Ephraim and
Manasseh:
<<Why did Jacob command that Manasseh be on his left side and Ephraim on
his right? Why did Jacob have to cross his hands over? The truth is that
Manasseh is the firstborn. The future most important building of all [i.e.
the Third Temple] will be consecrated in the month dedicated to Manasseh
and this is why it says GUIDING HIS HAND WITTINGLY (Genesis 48:14) (and he
did not place Manasseh on the left side) for in truth Manasseh is the
firstborn and the most important but he put Ephraim before Manasseh
concerning the precedence>>.
Fishel Mael based on the above and other sources comments (p.490):
<<According to what we have said we can conclude that the order of placing
of the sons was important both in regards to their positioning concerning
Joseph and in that concerning Jacob. Concerning Joseph....Ephraim is the
one who fulfills his place and most continues his path...Therefore Joseph
set Ephraim on his right-hand side to show that Ephraim is the main
principle of his might and the continuer of his path...However concerning
Jacob it is just the opposite. Manasseh is closer ...to the path of
Jacob...Jacob however guided his hands wittingly to indicate that the
greatness of Manasseh would not be revealed so soon...Jacob agreed only
that Manasseh remain at his right-hand side for he is destined to complete
the quality ...of Jacob himself in the building of the Third Temple>>.
He goes on in the same vein and returns to the subject elsewhere. The whole
subject is somewhat involved and deserves a complete article to explain
properly. We will speak more on this matter elsewhere.
The bottom line is that from these additional sources it was understood
that: Manasseh would become greater than Ephraim at a time AFTER Ephraim
had achieved greatness. Manasseh in a sense represents all of the Tribes of
Jacob, the essence of Jacob rather than of Joseph alone which is more the
sphere of Ephraim.
This is similar to conclusions Brit-Am has reached in the past concerning
the USA.
Manasseh is connected with the rebuilding of the Third Temple.
Another point (amongst many others of importance in the book concerned) is
that Simeon will be connected with Manasseh and on a certain level move
into Manasseh. In The Tribes we identified the southern Irish mainly as
descendants of Ephraim, Dan, and Simeon with Simeon in recent times
dominating. Most descendants of the southern Irish today dwell in the USA.
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