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A very interesting story out of The Jerusalem Post:
"Thousands of kilometers to the east, in the furthest reaches of northeastern India, a long-lost community continues to nourish its age-old dream of returning to its ancient homeland, the land of Israel. The Bnei Menashe, or “sons of Manasseh,” are descendants of one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel, which were exiled by the Assyrian empire more than 27 centuries ago. The community, which numbers 7,232 people, resides primarily in the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. Despite generations of wandering, the Bnei Menashe never forgot who they were, where they had come from, or where they aspired to return. Three times a day, every day, they turn in silent prayer toward Jerusalem, pleading with the Creator to put an end to their long exile and bring them home to Zion. That dream is now poised, at last, to become a reality." [Below, I created a map to show where Manasseh resides now and how far that is from Israel]
"This past Monday, an extraordinary meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption took place in the Prime Minister’s Office. At the top of the agenda was the issue of the Bnei Menashe. ... As Chairman of Shavei Israel, an organization that has been assisting the community for over a decade, I had lobbied intensively for much of the past year for the committee to address the issue. ... And rest assured, I told the ministers, the Bnei Menashe are our lost brethren. In March 2005, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar recognized them as Zera Yisrael, or the “seed of Israel,” and said they should be brought to the Jewish state."
"So I turned to the members of the committee and made a simple yet forceful plea: It is time for Israel to let the remaining Bnei Menashe come home."
"And then a miracle took place. After deliberating the matter, the ministerial committee, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, formally decided to draft a government resolution and bring it to the cabinet for approval no later than the end of July. The resolution will permit all the remaining Bnei Menashe in India to make aliya, and will finally bring an end to their years of waiting and uncertainty. Both the foreign minister and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver said they were behind the measure. This means we are just one month away from an historic turning point, one that will restore 7,232 precious souls to the Jewish people. ... Soon enough, I am sure, the Bnei Menashe will cross the sea, reuniting with the Land and people of Israel after a remarkable journey. Just as the prophets foretold, Manasseh’s children are at last coming back. And all one can say is: Thank God."
So when in 2005 Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, announced that he regarded the Bnei Menashe's claim of tribal inclusion to be true, under the Law of Return this allows them to migrate to Israel, as long as they formally convert to Judaism in accordance with halachic standards. This is what the author of the Opinion piece above was explaining.
It is a miracle, hands down, that all the tribes and the People, including the Bnei Menashe, never assimilated, never acculturated, but maintained a distinct identity apart from their surroundings. That has never happened to any people or culture in history, ever. The study of the twelve tribes is an interesting one, however there are no clear answers as to which of the tribes will end up being considered a 'real' tribe in the Millennium Kingdom. We do have a list in Revelation 7:5-8 of which tribes receive the blessing of being chosen to participate in the sealing of the 144,000 in the Tribulation. (12,000 from each tribe). God certainly knows His remnant and under His sovereignty He chooses the tribes. Here is the Jewish Virtual Library's list of the twelve tribes if you care to see a list and explanation of the characteristics of each tribe.
I do think that it is highly interesting that several years ago Ehud Olmert (Israel Prime Minister) stopped the Bnei Menashe's aliya (return) and now the Powers That Be seem open to it. Just the fact that one of the Tribes of Israel is in the news is prophetically interesting. Praise the Lord for His works and wonders!
The above chart's information was gotten from GotQuestions.org, here and I put it into chart form. Additionally, the piece explains: "Some Bible teachers understand Dan being left off the list in Revelation 7 because of what is said in Genesis 49:17, “Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”
The Levites are not mentioned in some lists perhaps because they never went to war and they never were given land, rather, they were assigned to service in the Temple. So maybe they are considered more of a priestly caste than a Tribe. (Joshua 14:3).
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"Thousands of kilometers to the east, in the furthest reaches of northeastern India, a long-lost community continues to nourish its age-old dream of returning to its ancient homeland, the land of Israel. The Bnei Menashe, or “sons of Manasseh,” are descendants of one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel, which were exiled by the Assyrian empire more than 27 centuries ago. The community, which numbers 7,232 people, resides primarily in the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. Despite generations of wandering, the Bnei Menashe never forgot who they were, where they had come from, or where they aspired to return. Three times a day, every day, they turn in silent prayer toward Jerusalem, pleading with the Creator to put an end to their long exile and bring them home to Zion. That dream is now poised, at last, to become a reality." [Below, I created a map to show where Manasseh resides now and how far that is from Israel]
"This past Monday, an extraordinary meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption took place in the Prime Minister’s Office. At the top of the agenda was the issue of the Bnei Menashe. ... As Chairman of Shavei Israel, an organization that has been assisting the community for over a decade, I had lobbied intensively for much of the past year for the committee to address the issue. ... And rest assured, I told the ministers, the Bnei Menashe are our lost brethren. In March 2005, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar recognized them as Zera Yisrael, or the “seed of Israel,” and said they should be brought to the Jewish state."
"So I turned to the members of the committee and made a simple yet forceful plea: It is time for Israel to let the remaining Bnei Menashe come home."
"And then a miracle took place. After deliberating the matter, the ministerial committee, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, formally decided to draft a government resolution and bring it to the cabinet for approval no later than the end of July. The resolution will permit all the remaining Bnei Menashe in India to make aliya, and will finally bring an end to their years of waiting and uncertainty. Both the foreign minister and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver said they were behind the measure. This means we are just one month away from an historic turning point, one that will restore 7,232 precious souls to the Jewish people. ... Soon enough, I am sure, the Bnei Menashe will cross the sea, reuniting with the Land and people of Israel after a remarkable journey. Just as the prophets foretold, Manasseh’s children are at last coming back. And all one can say is: Thank God."
So when in 2005 Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, announced that he regarded the Bnei Menashe's claim of tribal inclusion to be true, under the Law of Return this allows them to migrate to Israel, as long as they formally convert to Judaism in accordance with halachic standards. This is what the author of the Opinion piece above was explaining.
It is a miracle, hands down, that all the tribes and the People, including the Bnei Menashe, never assimilated, never acculturated, but maintained a distinct identity apart from their surroundings. That has never happened to any people or culture in history, ever. The study of the twelve tribes is an interesting one, however there are no clear answers as to which of the tribes will end up being considered a 'real' tribe in the Millennium Kingdom. We do have a list in Revelation 7:5-8 of which tribes receive the blessing of being chosen to participate in the sealing of the 144,000 in the Tribulation. (12,000 from each tribe). God certainly knows His remnant and under His sovereignty He chooses the tribes. Here is the Jewish Virtual Library's list of the twelve tribes if you care to see a list and explanation of the characteristics of each tribe.
I do think that it is highly interesting that several years ago Ehud Olmert (Israel Prime Minister) stopped the Bnei Menashe's aliya (return) and now the Powers That Be seem open to it. Just the fact that one of the Tribes of Israel is in the news is prophetically interesting. Praise the Lord for His works and wonders!
The above chart's information was gotten from GotQuestions.org, here and I put it into chart form. Additionally, the piece explains: "Some Bible teachers understand Dan being left off the list in Revelation 7 because of what is said in Genesis 49:17, “Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”
The Levites are not mentioned in some lists perhaps because they never went to war and they never were given land, rather, they were assigned to service in the Temple. So maybe they are considered more of a priestly caste than a Tribe. (Joshua 14:3).
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There is some evidence that the Tribe of Dan has morphed into European/British royalty.
ReplyDeleteWell, I feel it is a big mistake. Israel is a Zionist state, it is not a Jewish state. Statistics show more Jews leave Israel then come to it. It is very difficult to live there because it is over controlled. It is not a coutry of open market. Everything is regulated by this huge government in this very small country.
DeleteThe problem is that there is no open market society.
I am perplexed by your comment that Israel is a Zionist state, not a Jewish state. They are essentially one and the same. According to the website Wikipedia, "Zionism is a form of nationalism of Jews and Jewish culture that supports a Jewish nation state in territory defined as the Land of Israel". So, yes, Israel is both a Jewish state and a Zionist state.
DeleteI was unaware that more Jews leave Israel than come to it. Perhaps you could share a link so I can study that more. In my research, I have seen the opposite phenomenon.
And I am also perplexed by your statement that there is "no open market society". Again, Wikipedia says, "The economy of Israel is a technologically advanced market economy, including rapidly-developing high-tech and service sectors. As of 2010, Israel has the 24th largest economy in the world, and ranks 17th among 187 world nations on the UN's Human Development Index, which places it in the category of "Very Highly Developed"."
I don't think the economy would be flourishing so well if there was "no open market".
"I don't think the economy would be flourishing so well if there was "no open market"."
DeleteChina.
I was so excited by this bit of news about the Bnei Menashe!
ReplyDeleteMe too Emily! I was intrigued by the statement in the middle of the article that Olmert suddenly put a stop to aliyah, then the Council this time seemed to be open to it, the guy said it was a 'miracle.' I'm always happy to see a sudden change of heart regarding the church or the Jews, it means [in my opinion], that the Lord is directly at work!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, in your letter you call Zionists the same as Jews. It not correct.
DeleteThey are different in how they operate. I am Jewish, I know the defferences. In fact, the Jews must live by certain well known rules, and we do for thousands of years, and we will. Zionism is represented by a very young movement(not even couple of hundreds of years), although Judaism, is represented by written Torah Law for several thousands of years. Unfortunately, it is a very difficult topic for an outsider to recognize, but fortunately, very easy for an insider to see.
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteThe definition of Zionism I read today is "Zionism, simply a political movement at its inception, has today become more of an ideology than anything else. Zionism is an international movement for the return of the Jewish people to Zion, the land of Israel, while exercising the right to retain authority of government over the state of Israel, which was promised to them in the Hebrew Scriptures"
I am sure that you indeed know the political nuances, and that I do not, but overall I think that saying Israel is the land where the Jews reclaimed some of the promised land is accurate. I do know that Israel is mainly secular and not overly religions.
Overall, though the news may be interesting and civilly debatable, the last word is the bible. The Jews will return, and they will reclaim all of the land God originally promised them. The post spoke to the fact that the tribe is coming home to the promised land. That is a wonderful praise to the Lord as a major step toward a fulfillment of His promises.
25. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3582971,00.html “CBS also reported Thursday that since the State's inception until the end of 2006, some 653,000 Israelis left the country for more than a year and never returned. As this assessment includes Israeli citizens who died abroad, between 530,000 and 558,000 Israelis live outside the country today. This figure does not include children born abroad to Israelis residing in foreign countries.”
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, Thanks for the link and the information. LOL, I guess one can make statistics say anything one wants. I read your article and it is indeed interesting that some Israelis choose to leave for various reasons, one of which I noticed was to work abroad. The article is 6 years old, though, and the statistics since 1006 for aliyah shows an upward trend (http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2010/09/jews-migrating-to-israel-in-huge.html)
DeleteHowever, the debate really ends at the bible. The LORD will bring all His people back every one, not leaving any behind, in the last days. (Ezek 39:21-29). The bible is the final word on the Jews, and if the Lord says He will bring them all back, He will. Whether that time is now or in the future is the only debate, but I feel that the times indicate that it is happening now.