Historical legends tell us about the ten mighty tribes of Israel exiled by the ancient Assyrian Empire. Our scriptures identify their exilic settlements by name, but no one knows where they’ve gone. How did millions of Jews simply vanish?
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While there are numerous things to comment about in this lecture, due to the lack of space I will just pick one which I think is from the more important ones. Rabbi Kaplan says, citing from the Talmud in Sanhedrin 110b, that the “Halacha follows R’ Akiva that the Ten Tribes will not return.” While this is indeed the view of R’ Akiva, it is not correct to say that this is the view of “Halacha.” Nor that this is the conclusion of the Talmud...
Rabbi Yehuda Lowe (The Maharal of Prague) in his Sefer Netzach Yisroel Chapter 34 (end of page 155 in some ed.) writes “that it is clear from there [the Talmud in Sanhedrin 110b] that the Halacha is like the opinion that they ARE coming back.” (He also discusses the obvious question which was brought up in the lecture, “So where are they?”).
See also the Abarbanel in his Sefer Yeshuos Meshicho Iyun 1 end of Ch. 4 where he writes 'that the Talmud takes the view of R’ Eliezer that they WILL be coming back'.
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I really enjoyed this lecture. I learned many new things, and it was very open minded. I was impressed by the quality and quantity of the sources, and by the clear articulation.
Small comment: The remaining tribes are actually Yehuda, Binyomin and Levi, while the number 10 of the "lost" tribes include Menache and Efraim, for a total of 13...
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In response to Yehuda Shuprin's remarks of whom the Halacha follows. I do indeed stand corrected, I had not seen the Maharal or the Abarbanel, and later realized that the Halacha follows Rebbi Akiva m'chavirav (when he argues with his peers) however Rebbi Eliezer (ben Hurcanus) was his teacher so that rule would not apply.
However that point is not the foundation of the thesis I present and it makes no difference, as even the Maharal says that the argument is not if they come back, rather if they will assume independent identities as separate tribes etc.
The primary thrust is only that people's claiming to be the 10 tribes have nothing to stand on, and that we don't believe that there are millions of Jews hiding somewhere in plain sight...
Regarding Moshe's point, our Sages always refer to Yehuda & Binyomin (and not to Levi). Presumably there where many, many Levites who disappeared with them... after all they were evenly distributed in Eretz Yisrael.
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I don't know where Rabbi Kaplan gets his information from that the tribe of Levi los their holiness and it was given to the cohanim and that is why there are more cohanim than levim? The Gemara only states that maser rishon was taken away from them.
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I really enjoyed the lecture gave me many new things ,the only question is that in Italy Rabbi Kaplan said they are Askenazi I thought in Italy the jews like in Bagdad are not Sefardi or Askenazi This is the the only question/stament I make. and thank you the Rabbi for a very illumineting lecture
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Regarding Russel's comment, you clearly miss my point. I never said that Levi "lost their holiness," rather used the Talmud's statement about the Levis’ refusing to return to Israel (and the Ma'aser being taken from them and instead given to the Cohanim) to explain the FACTUAL phenomenon of the small percentage of Levis in comparison with Cohanim. This is not my idea, rather a well-worn fact that is often discussed by many.
And finally in response to Allessandro, the nusach hatfila (prayer liturgy) of the Italian community is indeed unique. We have clear documentation of a strong Jewish community in Rome during the second Temple era, which accounts for some of their customs being so unique, and not quite Ashkenazi, however I do nonetheless believe (and I may be wrong) that they are generally identified with the community called Ashkenaz. Also I think you mean Temani (or possibly Tunisian from the island of Djerba) when you say not considered Sefardic in the typical manner, not Bagd.
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Thank you Rabbi Kaplan for a most enlightening lecture.
A comment about Italy: Italy is considered Ashkenaz but native Italian Jews use a different Nussach than Ashkenazim or Sefardy and call it Nussach Italky. If one were to daven in the Synagogue in Florence for example that is the nussach used. I visited Ostia Antica which is where the Jews lived at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple and indeed there are there the ruins of what is said to be the first shul out of Israel and also ruins of a mikveh.
There are a lot of communities in Italy, Ashkenaz, Sefard, Sefardi, and chabad. There have been many waves of immigration to italy throughout history. Many jews found refuge there from the inquisition and more recently after the Holocaust a lot of Jews came and settled there.
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I am a jew of italian(saphardic-mother)and ethiopian(father) descent.Because of you mostly rascists european jews I was persecuted as a child. but my mother told me not to believe the lies. A jew is a jew is a jew! I will be a rabbi in about 3 to 5 years.The Torah is written on my heart! Scriptually you are in great error. iwas born in manitoba,and I will return after my yeshiva is completed.my HASHEM rebuke you stearnly for saying ethiopian jews are not jewish. One day I will refute all you rascists jews on this issue. Just to let you know. 90% of us jews have goy in thier bloodline! We see this especially in our jewish women who marry goyim and call thier children full bloded jewish! this is rabbinical(men's oral tradition)judaism NOT tanakh judaism! read d'varim 7:3 it says daughters and sons. this destroys the false clam that our rabbinical fathers taught us,that you are jewish through the mother. BUT you are right concerning the so-called black hebrews. May G-D have mercy on you
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I have never heard any rabbi discuss ancestries that go back to Judah that the kings of Europe had. There is one from Iceland (Priam, Thor, Odin), two from Britain (Zerah, Darius, Brutus, Beli Mawr), and (Zerah, Darius, Antenor, William "the Conqueror,") one from Ireland (Pharez, David, Tea Tephi), and one from France (Zerah, Darius, Charlemagne). Then, their descendants all married each other. Consider the Icelandic Langfedgatal's connection to the Chaldeans through ancestors like Moda (a Hebrew word) and the Icelandic Magi, part of the Chaldean/Zoroastrian religion with their ancestor Thor. 1 Maccabees 12, says, "Darius our bretheren." There are so many sources! I count over 20 sources from the Middle Ages and earlier. Then, there is the fact that Presidents usually descend from kings. The same tribe has been ruling the the world for all recorded history. This data combines easily with the idea of the scepter in Genesis. I don't know how rabbis can avoid discussing this!
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The Ten Lost Tribes
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Historical legends tell us about the ten mighty tribes of Israel exiled by the ancient Assyrian Empire. Our scriptures identify their exilic settlements by name, but no one knows where they’ve gone. How did millions of Jews simply vanish? (1:29:11) | |
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