יום חמישי י"ח באדר ב תשפ"ד 28/03/2024
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  • The Mission Continues

    As in the past so it remains today - we were and still are under the selfsame commitment to adhere to the directions of the Gedolei Yisrael, who stand guard against breaches of purity threatening our camp. When we were required to ask – we asked. When we were instructed to depart – we left. The moment we are summoned back to raise the flag, every other consideration is pushed to the side and we answer: We are ready!

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בראי היום

  • Harav Yisrael Friedman zy”a, the Rebbe of Husyatin

    מוטי, ויקיפדיה העברית

    The ancestral chain of Harav Yisrael Friedman, the founder of the Husyatin chassidic court, originates with the holy Baal Shem Tov. The Husyatin chassidus has its roots in Galicia and eventually came to Tel Aviv, during the turbulent years between the two World Wars.

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Place

  • Maccabi'im Gravesite

    In honour of Chanukah, we will discuss a fascinating, ongoing investigation attempting to establish the place of burial of Mattisyahu Kohen Gadol and his family.

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In I got It!

The Ten Lost Tribes

There are many Torah opinions regarding the Ten Lost Tribes

N. Lieberman 09/11/2009 10:00

Throughout the years, many efforts have been made to locate the Ten Tribes who were exiled by Shalmanassar, King of Babylon. Many theories aroused concerning the whereabouts of the tribes as several of them allegedly fitted into specific behavior patterns of different peoples around the world. Most of the assumptions, however, were later questioned and dropped.

In 1853, a Christian doctor named Ashal Grant was sent by the Missionary Committee of America to conduct a research on a certain ethnic group in Babylon. The group claimed to perform several Jewish rituals, such as keeping the Sabbath, and was therefore, in their opinion, one of the lost tribes.

The Shomrons also claimed to be the descendants of the lost tribes. However, Jewish tradition refers to them as the ancient Kutim. Another example is the Yazdim, who also argue about belonging to the Ten Tribes, as they keep the commandment of circumcision.

These assumptions are further rendered as extremely questionable, as the leaders of the Jewish nation are divided in their opinions regarding the return of the lost tribes before the coming of the Messiah.

The opinion of Rabbi Akiva, who had visited Babylon and Media several times and could not find any traces of the tribes, was that the lost tribes had assimilated with the other nations and had totally disappeared, never to return. As it is written: "And you shall be lost amongst the nations" – those are the Ten Tribes who were exiled to Media.

On the other hand, Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that the tribes will, in fact, return. As it is written: "And he shall expel you to another land as of that day" – just as the day is darkened and lightened, so shall the tribes be darkened in their exile and lightened in their redemption.

The Talmud Yerushalmi relates that the Ten Tribes do not have a share in the World to Come and will not merit to see the Final Redemption.