Popular Sephardi Rabbi, Ariel Bar Zadok, founder of KosherTorah.com stresses in his latest newsletter that Israel is not comprised of the tribe of Judah alone, from where we derive the internationally recognizable terms Jew, Jewish and Judaism. That Israel to be One is a unity of the Tribe of Judah, whom has been faithful to the revelation given Israel at Mount Sinai, and the other 11 tribes. While it is well known that the tribe of Benyamin is currently part of the historic House of Judah, the other 10 tribes are popularly known as the Lost Tribes of Israel. The following is Rabbi Zadoks thoughts on the unity of the 12 tribes of Israel:
“J” alone cannot equal “I.” Only when we add 11 “T” to “J” can they be equal to “I.”
Just because one is not Jewish does not mean that one cannot be a literal, bloodline child of Israel. There are many more Israelites in the world than there are Jews. As to who they are, where they are and how they can be recognized and identified, read on.
We all know that there are twelve tribes to Israel. Long before the return from Babylon of some of the exiles from Judah in 516 b.c.e. (that’s 2,529 years ago), the identities of the vast majority of the other tribes of Israelites had been lost. It was a remnant of the southern Kingdom of Judah that returned to rebuild Jerusalem. Therefore since then, the remnant of Israel has been called by their name. Thus we have Jews, named after Yehudah, or Judea.
While human history deals exclusively with the Jews from this point onward, we must never forget that God’s promises to Israel were meant for, and to this day are being fulfilled with, the entire nation of twelve tribes, and not just the one, called the Jews.
To this day, the other eleven tribes, considered lost, are still as much a part of Israel, as are Judah. The other eleven, while maybe lost to their own identity are still known to Heaven, and are therefore, still under Divine protection and Divine blessing. The other eleven, whoever they are, and wherever they may be, are still as much God’s chosen as is Judah.
Therefore, whether certain elements of Judah, or the nations, like it or not, there are still over ten times as many Israelites “out there” somewhere, who are the bonafide chosen people of God. To this day they are also being guided by Heaven’s Hand and fulfilling Heaven’s purpose as being a “light to the nations,” even as Judah is used to this day.
Today, many ask the question, who is a Jew? One can answer this in according to Torah Law, and say that a Jew is defined as one born from a Jewish mother, or one who has gone through a conversion process deemed acceptable by whomever is doing the accepting. Yet, this narrow interpretation only identifies who today is considered a Jew, and who is therefore eligible for recognition within the Jewish community, and possibly eligible for citizenship within the State of Israel. But, no matter how we define today who is, or who is not a Jew, this bears no influence upon the greater question of who today is Israel. For this bloodline identity, lost over so many centuries, still has not gone away, and never will.
Over many centuries, there have been identified an Israelite presence in some of the most far-flung corners of the Earth. There are records and rumors of Israelite communities (that may not be Judah-based “Jewish”) in China, India, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, southern Africa, and even among Native Americans. While today, “Jews” are considered, for the most part, to be a nation of white Caucasians, the vast majority of other native Israelites, however lost they may be, are far from being white Caucasians, and most likely consist of ever other color and race found over the Earth.
Indeed, historically, it is well known that Israel, which includes Judah (and thus all real Jews) are a Semitic race. Semites are not Caucasians. Therefore, while the majority of modern Jews can be identified to be Caucasians, this clearly shows how, over many centuries, they too have become subject to intermarriage and racial change.
How interesting is it today that modern haters of Jews accuse the majority of European Jews of not being truly Jewish. European Jews are accused of being decedents of Khazarian converts from over a thousand years ago, and therefore, the haters proclaim, not true Jews at all.
This is such a twisted and peculiar argument. For the haters of Jews, hate the Jews because they are Jews, and at the same time deny them the identity of being Jews. If the Jews are not Jews, then why hate them for being Jews? Funny isn’t it, that even if the Jews are not Jews, they are still hated for being Jews?
Is there any logic in this? No, none! But, whoever said that hatred was based upon any logic? Whoever said that hatred had to make any sense? For the record, there is a large amount of DNA evidence that tends to prove that European Jews are in fact not of Khazarian ancestry.
What it means to be God’s chosen people has become subject to such wild misinterpretations, that its true meaning has been almost entirely lost. Let us endeavor now to restore the true understanding of this.
Torah makes it clear that God calls Israel a nation of priests. Fine, so then, what is the role of the priest? The priest is a servant. The priest goes out and serves the needs of the community. The priest is not elevated and thus served by the community. A priest serves, he is not served.
Being a priest is an arduous and difficult task. It requires hard and often dirty work. But that is the role of the priest. The priest is a tool in God’s Hand. When God wants to get work done in this world, he acts through His priests. Yet, the work of God, like the work of the priest in the ancient Temple is often hard and dirty.
The priest is a tool. He is like a screw used by God to screw together two or more disjointed things. God uses the priest as His screw to build, to bind, to bridge and unite things. Just remember this, the job of a screw is to get screwed. This is the role, the job and mission of Israel. Israel is chosen to be God’s priests, His workers, His tools, His screws.
When Israel is getting screwed, this is when they are doing the job of Heaven. This is when they are fulfilling their role as the chosen people. It is nothing grandiose. On the contrary, it is a rather dirty and difficult job, often without much appreciation or reward. Who ever thinks about the screws that hold together the walls of the houses in which we live? Who ever thinks about the unnamed and forgotten ones whose inspirations have built everything good that we have in the world?
Who is Jew today is one definition, one clearly defined by Torah Law. Who, however, is Israel is a completely different definition. A Jew can be recognized by his bloodline or his conversion, an Israelite may have neither of these to show, and not need them either. An Israelite has an Israelite soul and as such has a unique relationship with Heaven as does all the children of all the twelve tribes, not just the Jews of Judah.
While I cannot accept any Israelite (confirmed or otherwise) into Jewish ritual practices unless he meets the criteria of also being a Jew, nevertheless, I accept him as a member of my extended family and is he welcome in my home, even though I may not be able to include him in my minyan.
It is important that we expand our horizons. It is important that we make every effort to start seeing things through God’s Eyes, instead of through our own. Times are changing, and revelations, shocking ones, will be forth coming. Let us prepare for these by rejecting the falsehoods and half-truths of the past, and by embracing expanding perceptions of the ancient truths.
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